Love Hurts - Titan Ache
by KingKunta
Summary: In a world where humans are caged in by Titans, there is no time for love. Yet somehow Eren and Annie find a way to make it work. Will their love last? Or will it be affected by outside causes more than just the titans.
1. Betrayal Or True Love?

**A/N:**

**Hello everybody! KingKunta here with my first ever fanfiction. I've been reading a lot of AoT fanfics recently and I'm addicted! I've pretty much exhausted reading all of the fanfics out there so now I'm satisfying my needs by writing my own. Anyways I would appreciate feedback, good or bad. I mean don't be too harsh please, but constructive criticism is good, I'm new to this and feedback is good for my learning. **

**Just so you all know Eren x Mikasa is my OTP. But I also like Eren x Annie. I feel as though the anime hints at this pairing a little as well. Anyways this story wrote itself in my head so I had to write it!**

**Anyways for the story, I've planned this out to be a multi-chapter story. However I'm releasing this first chapter as sort of a pilot to see how people react to the plot or "instigator event" as I like to think of it. I understand this is my first story so it most likely won't get a lot of attention, but if I get something like 5 follows or favs or encouraging reviews I will most likely continue it. I have planned out the whole story so I do want to write it, but it might not be worth it if no one is going to read it. So we will see how you guys like it. Enjoy my first story ever! **

**Sorry if this A/N is a little long I promise they won't be this long if there are future chapters. **

**And I don't own anything.**

* * *

PILOT/Chapter 1: Betrayal or True Love?

The door flies open.

Eren and Annie quickly covered themselves up with the blanket, a look of shock, horror and desperation arrives on their faces.

Armin just stands in the doorway, eyes wide with horror and most prominently sorrow. He is able to squeak out, "What….? Eren…? Annie…?"

Annie's cheeks begin to turn beet red as she turns away to face the wall, removing her hands from Eren's waist. Eren still sits on the bed with a look of shock on his face. _Armin what the fuck is wrong with you? Don't you know how to knock? Why am I silent right now?_

Eren opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, Armin speaks first.

"What the fuck is this?" Armin questions. It comes out harsh and Eren's eyes open even wider, which he didn't think was even possible. Armin never swears and this even causes Annie to turn away from the wall and return her attention to Armin. His eyes are wide; his stance wide, his fists are clenched at his sides, and he is shaking madly as if his head is ready to explode any second. Almost telepathically Eren and Annie share a thought, _Armin has never been this angry in his life. This is not going to end well._

Annie feels terrible about herself and slips down under the blankets as if she has melted away. She can't stand to look Armin in the eyes anymore, she doesn't understand why he's so upset but she can't take the embarrassment any longer. She finally started opening herself up to people recently and this is her worst nightmare. She's naked and exposed in front of one of her fellow trainees and if that's not bad enough it's the best friend of the boy she's dating and currently sharing this state of bareness with.

Eren has other thoughts on his mind. _Why is Armin so angry? I understand his state of shock but why is he upset, if anything I should be pissed off. He just fucking cock blocked my ass. After all these months of putting my moves on Annie and I finally got her in my bed, _(A faint smirk appearing on his face momentarily) _all to be ruined by Armin not having common courtesy. _

But what Eren didn't realize while he was lost in his thoughts was Armin had hit his boiling point. Eren was awoken from his thoughts by a sudden creak of the floorboards. He looked up towards Armin only to see him charging right towards him… _SHIT!_

"I'm going to fucking kill you Eren Yeager!" He yells.

* * *

*Flashback to 2 months earlier*

"Annie please let me train with you!" Eren pleaded. "Your technique is so unique and incredible. Please teach me it!"

"Leave me alone Eren. Why don't you just go back to your beloved Mikasa," Annie deadpanned.

"Annie please… I want to learn," Eren said while he gave Annie a puppy dog look. "One training session is all I want. If you hate it I'll leave you alone."

Annie contemplated his offer for a few seconds. '_The world is your enemy, Annie.'_ Annie remembering her father's words began to open her mouth to reject Eren again for the hundredth time, but she looked into his eyes. His big emerald eyes that sparkled in the sunlight beamed at her, a wide grin spread across his face. His expression pleading her for one chance, one day, one session and something in her heart ached, a sinking feeling in her chest that she had never experienced before. Her face began to turn scarlet. _What is this feeling? It burns inside._ And then without thinking, "Okay," squeaked out of her mouth and she slammed her hand over her mouth quickly. Horror struck her face as she saw Eren eyes light up even more. _How is that even possible? They already sparkle so bright. _She then realized what had just crossed her mind. _What the fuck is wrong with me today?_ She shook her head and if to make it worse…

"YES! Woohoo! Thanks Annie!" Eren screamed to the heavens, his grin widening more and more. Then he did something that shocked Annie immensely. He hugged her. He pulled her body into his chest and squeezed her shoulders tightly. "I'll see you tomorrow….. Bye!" And he ran off without another word.

Annie stood there shocked, in disbelief. _What just happened? Did he just hug me? _The ache in her chest returned. She still had no idea what it was and she didn't like it.

"You're fucking dead tomorrow Yeager," she whispered to herself.

* * *

Annie stood in the middle of the training grounds playing with the zipper of her jacket, waiting for Eren to arrive. She still couldn't believe she agreed to this. How she could be stupid enough to get distracted and flustered enough to agree to his proposal.

_I've got to get this kid off my back. I'm a lone wolf; I'm her for myself, not for anyone else. The world is my enemy, which means you too Eren Yeager._

As on cue with her thoughts she saw Eren running through the training grounds towards her, still holding that huge grin on his face from yesterday, which reminded her about that hug, a faint flush of pink appearing on her face. She looked down towards the ground.

"You're late," She says bitterly.

"Yea.. I'm sorry Annie, Mikasa held me up, you know how she is," He answered guiltily as his grin disappeared.

This made Annie happy, wiping that stupid grin off of his face. As for that hug and getting this annoying brat off of her back, she had an idea.

"Whatever let's just get this over with," She stated with an unamused look on her face.

Eren's smile returned as his eyes lit up and he said, "Let's do it!" with an excited tone.

_This is going to be easy Annie. Just get it over with; one session is all he asked for. Just drop his ass and leave._

Without warning Annie charged at Eren, forgetting about the drill all together. It was a self defense drill where one person had a wooden knife and attacked while the other defended and tried to disarm the attacker. The wooden knife still lying on the floor Eren yelled "Wait!" but it was too late. Annie had thrown a haymaker right at Eren's temple knocking him on his ass. Eren's vision went black for a few seconds and when he opened his eyes all he saw was blue sky with an outline of a petit blonde girl looking down at him. He groaned rubbing his temple and his voice came out quiet, "The knife. You forgot about the knife…."

Annie's eyes widened slightly realizing her mistake but not really caring. She stuck out her hand to Eren and nodded her head as a sign for him to take it. Eren took her hand and repositioned himself in his fighting position. This time Annie picked up the knife and charged Eren again. He was ready this time and put up resistance. They wrestled together for a good couple of minutes, Annie actually struggling to take down the brunette. _He can actually put up a good fight._ _I'm getting tired though, looks like it's time to end this fight. _Annie placed her hand on Eren's shoulder gripping hard then swung one leg behind Eren's throwing him off balance and sweeping his legs from beneath him and finished by slamming his back down towards the ground. Eren hit the ground hard and gasped winded from the attack. His arms went limp and Annie straddled his hips holding the knife to his throat. She didn't say a word just staring into his eyes with victory and slight frustration. Eren's stupid grin appeared again and he was about to praise her technique again when Annie struck him with her fist, right in the nose, a loud crack resounding from his nose and Annie's knuckles. Eren's head snapping back and grasping his nose as it began to bleed.

"Ow! What the fuck Annie! That wasn't necessary," He stated muffled by his hand.

"That's for hugging me yesterday!" she yelled back. "Don't fucking touch me without permission!" She then threw the knife down centimeters away from his face and stood up from his hips. "There you go.. One session. That's all you asked for," She said, her words cutting his spirits. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours. Annie's blue eyes containing flames and his emerald eyes filled with hurt and shock. She looked down at him, belittling him.

Eren speechless for a few minutes managed to gather his thoughts, "Okay.. you're right. A promise is a promise Annie. I'm sorry for wasting your time and hugging you yesterday, I was just excited and didn't even realize I was doing it, it kind of just happened. I'm sorry," He stated shyly.

"Well fucking don't. Contain yourself maybe," She growled.

Eren was speechless again, he didn't know what else to say. So he just stood up from his laying position and turned the other direction walking towards the infirmary. His head hung low and a face that looked like he has witnessed death. Annie watched as he turned around once 20 or so feet stood between them, "Thanks for the lesson Annie. I won't bother you anymore," He said as he forced a genuine smile onto his face. He then turned away and walked towards the barracks. Annie could swear he looked on the brink of tears. She saw Mikasa run up to Eren and grab his shoulder examining his nose and tending to it.

The ache in Annie's chest returned. She had achieved her goal of getting Eren's annoying as off her back and showing him up with her techniques. But then why did she feel so terrible. Her chest ached and her fist was actually trembling from the punch she sent to Eren's nose, all because she was annoyed and because he hugged her. His expression full of sorrow when he turned around, she couldn't take it. She looked back to Eren and saw Mikasa pull Eren into a hug squeezing him tight as he had done to her yesterday. She couldn't watch anymore and walked away in the other direction to have some alone time.

* * *

The next day was different. The trainees were back on the training ground for more hand to hand combat training. No more knives, just straight take down drills. Whoever could take the opponent down first was the victor. As usual Annie went in without a partner, always finding the lone straggler that was wandering in order to avoid a scolding from Shadis. As she wandered through the grounds she caught a glance of Eren and Sasha competing in hand to hand combat. Eren had some wrapping over his nose helping it heal. _I broke it_, Annie thought, feeling all the more terrible about her actions yesterday. She decided that she had to apologize; she had overreacted and had broken his nose out of annoyance and her idiotic behaviour.

Her thoughts were immediately interrupted as she heard Eren's battle cry when he charged at Sasha. Sasha dodged narrowly missing Eren's tackle. She used this time to counter and take advantage of him. She grabbed Eren by the head and ready to flip him to the floor, but before she could Eren grabbed her by the shoulder, he swung his leg behind Sasha, knocking out her legs from beneath her and threw her to the ground. Sasha hit the ground, not as hard as Annie had thrown Eren down because Eren had some sympathy for his fellow comrades and withheld the slam. Sasha lied there shocked, eyes wide and mouth gaping. Eren hovered over her smiling like a kid in a candy store. Then remembering his manners his mother had taught him, he reached out his hand and helped Sasha up.

"Where did you learn that move Eren?" Sasha questioned.

Eren hesitated, remembering the actions that transpired yesterday and frowned slightly. "Annie taught it to me. I saw her perform it on Reiner the other day and bugged her to teach me," He told her.

"Wow! It's really unique and unexpecting …. Anyways! Lunch time!" Sasha yelled running towards the kitchen of the barracks bringing a small smile back to Eren's face as he shook his head in disapproval but slight amusement from her freakish nature.

From the other side of the training ground Annie stared at the actions transpiring in front of her, mouth slightly open in disbelief as Eren had performed her signature move and then his explanation to Sasha of how she helped him out. _I broke his nose and he still talked genuinely of me._ While she was lost in her thoughts, Eren began to walk towards the small forest next to the barracks. His smile disappeared and he looked upset. Annie decided to follow him so she could apologize for yesterday, especially after his performance today, she could tell she had hurt his spirits. No matter how much he annoyed her and how much she needed to be a lone soldier, she had to at least apologize for her overreaction.

What Annie saw in the forest was not what she expected. Well to be honest she did not know what to expect when she followed Eren Yeager into a forest. However it was not this. Eren sat on the forest floor his back against a big tree trunk and his face in his hands. Tears were pouring from his eyes and audible sobs were spitting out of his mouth. He looked horrible, like a child lost in the park without his parents, crying to the heavens.

Annie was panicking at this point. _What the hell am I supposed to do? Should I just leave him and let him have his alone time? No. I have to comfort him; he is distressed, for what reason? I don't know. How does one comfort someone? _All these questions flowing through her head. She emerged from the trees and walked up to Eren's sobbing body. Eren heard the footsteps coming towards him and looked up expecting to see Mikasa who always followed him everyone. To his surprise, he saw Annie.

_Oh no! Annie, she can't see me like this. _Eren immediately brushed the tears away from his eyes and cheeks and stood up rapidly. He took a step towards Annie, "Uhhh.. Hey… Annie, what're… you doing here?" he stuttered.

"Cut the shit Yeager," She deadpanned. "I already caught you. What're you doing?"

Eren's worst nightmare had happened. The one girl in the trainee squad that he looked up to for her toughness and fighting abilities, had seen him balling his eyes out. Now she was probably here to mock him. _What am I supposed to tell her? I come here every day and remember my life before the breach of the wall. The time with my parents and Mikasa._ Eren's heart sinking from his thoughts and his eyes dropping to the floor, he slid back down the tree trunk and sat back down on the ground. Leaning back against the tree and sighing as he covered his face with his hands from embarrassment.

"Go ahead. Mock me. I'm ready for it. Make fun of the army boy that says he is going to eradicate all the titans and is here crying on the forest floor. Get it over with," He said muffled by his hands.

Annie was taken aback by his sudden words. _Am I really that bad of a person? He thinks I'm going to mock him for this. I'm not that cold hearted. Am I? _

That's when Annie realized that she no longer wanted to be the cold hearted bitch that everyone thinks she is. She is tired of hurting people. Her father told her to make everyone her enemy but she couldn't handle being everyone's villain. It hurt her too much. Eren's words cut straight to her heart. She stormed over to the boy. She dropped down and seated herself next to him. She placed one arm around the boy's shoulders pulling him into a half embrace. Eren jumped at the sudden contact. His first instinct thinking she was going to hit him. This made Annie's chest ache more. Once he realized what she was attempting to do he moved his hands away from his face and looked over to Annie who was trying her hardest to give off a caring smile. Eren stared at her blankly, confused and couldn't believe what he was seeing. _Annie's smiling? And holding me in her arms. _Eren's tears instantly stopped and he couldn't feel anything but confusion.

"What the fuck are you staring at?" Annie said to Eren knocking the confusion out of him.

Instead of being scared Eren began to laugh, he laughed harder and harder by the second, a huge smile appearing on his face again.

_What the fuck is he laughing at? _"What the fuck are you laughing at?" Annie asked angrily removing her arm from Eren's shoulder and turning to face the other direction.

Once Eren finally stopped laughing he tapped Annie on the shoulder. She turned around to see Eren smiling at her stupidly.

"Explain to me how one person can go from balling their fucking eyes out to laughing their head off?" she asked shoving him in the chest.

"Well.. you see I come here every day after training to reflect on my thoughts…. I think about my mother and how I lost her to the titans and how I used to visit the forest near my house back home with her and Mikasa. We used to play in the forest together, before everything was fucked up." He explained his smile disappearing. "But then you come along and put your arm around me and sit her and attempt to comfort me. I just thought it was funny how you tried to be comforting but ended up yelling at me," He began to chuckle lightly. "It was cute."

_Cute? It was cute? What the hell is that supposed to mean. No one has ever called me cute. _Annie pondered Eren's words noticing a faint heat in her cheeks.

"Annie your face is turning red. You look like a tomato," Eren chuckled.

She turned away again, embarrassed. "I'm sorry about your nose. I lost control of my emotions and I didn't mean it." She felt a hand grip her shoulder lightly as if an angel had perched itself there, a tingling sensation flowing down her spine making her shiver in his grip. She quickly turned around to see Eren smiling looking her in the eyes with his sparkling green orbs. She didn't seem to mind it right now.

"It's okay Annie. I know you didn't mean any harm. I pushed the boundaries and should have never touched you. I deserved it," He stated.

A smile appearing on Annie's face again from his humbleness and understanding, "You're touching me right now," she said back smirk widening with one eyebrow raised.

Eren eyes went wide and he retracted his hand immensely quick. "I'm sorry. Please don't hit me again!" he yelled covering his face, cowering in fear, only to hear her laughing behind his hands.

"I'm joking Eren. You're such a wimp," She said between chuckles.

Eren sighed, "Oh.. Ha," A silence breaking out. "Well I really should be getting back I guess." He said while standing up. He gave Annie one last smile and began to walk away.

Annie spoke up, "I saw you use my move on Sasha today…. Not bad." Eren stopped dead in his tracks refusing to turn around and face her glare. "Why don't you come find me tomorrow and I'll show you how to really use it."

Eren spun around facing her now, happiness on his face but also confusion. "What…? B.. But.." he stuttered.

"Shut up Eren and do as you're told," She deadpanned back.

Stuck in shock and not being able to speak any more words Eren spun back around and started to walk away from the blonde girl. He took a few steps before spinning back around to face her with his hands in his pockets and head hanged.

"You have the cutest smile in the world, you know that?" Eren blurted out before sprinting away from his indefinite beating.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I wanted this chapter to end at the end of the flashback but I decided I want to dedicate next chapter to Eren and Annie's relationship so I cut it here. This chapter ended up being way longer than I expected. Anyways I hoped you guys liked it. Please Fav/Follow and most importantly review so I know if I should continue. Thanks!**


	2. So Close

**A/N: **

**Hello everybody! Happy Easter for those of you who celebrate! Chapter 2 is done! Woohoo! The first chapter of this story got good feedback and a few people have asked me to continue it, so your wish is my command****. I would like to send a quick shout out to Holl0w Dan for being the stories first follower/favourite and thanks for the awesome review as well as the review from the guest, thanks! Also a shout out to Wolf301 for being my first Author follow/fav thanks a lot, I really appreciate it! Finally a HUGE shout out to LuminousWriter11 for their feedback, they took the time out of their day to give me an in depth review of my writing and me being a new writer I really appreciated it. Check out their stories, they're great! Well here you guys go, chapter 2.**

**Oh I almost forgot, just so everyone knows I'm Canadian so some spelling may be different. For example: Colour/Color and Favour/Favor. Alright just letting you guys know.**

**By the way all characters are over 18.**

* * *

Chapter 2 – So Close

"_You have the cutest smile in the world, you know that?"_

Annie stood there speechless, trying to conjure up something; words, thoughts, actions, anything, but to her avail there was nothing. She was a blank page lying on the desk of a spaced out trainee with nothing to do but stand there looking like a complete fool with her mouth agape. She stood there, stiff almost blending in with the trees for what seemed like hours staring at the clearing where the green eyed brunette boy was standing only seconds ago, until she finally came back to reality, or at least her thoughts.

_**Cute**__. Why does he keep using that word? I'm not __**cute**__; I was never __**cute**__, not even as a child and I will never be __**cute**__!_

_Fuck you Eren Yeager, stop doing this to me. Stop making my heart ache, stop making me at a loss for words. Stop everything! Leave me alone! Stop calling me __**cute**__!_

_What was that? What just happened? I don't even understand? __**Cute**__?_

_His eyes though, his green orbs shine like emeralds reflecting the light that hides deep down in this world. His enthusiasm and joy and pride and happiness, it doesn't make any sense to me. How can he be so enthusiastic in a world like this? How can he be so __**cute**__?_

Annie's thoughts echoed in her head, the theme of the voices bouncing back and worth; anger, shock, confusion and adoration, but one word occurred in all her multiple personalities. Why did it have such an effect on her, it was the second time he had used it on her and both times it sent her into a spiral of emotions and ache.

To be honest no one had ever called Annie cute in her life, not even as a child. She grew up in tough surroundings, in a village far away from the walls with her single father. Her mother had died during her child birth and it had affected her father greatly. After her death, Annie's father spiralled into drinking, drug abuse, self-harm and any other way to torture himself because he blamed himself for her death. He was the one who impregnated her with the child that inevitably ended up killing her. The abuse hit its extreme at the start of the Annie's life and for the first few weeks she almost didn't survive because her father never tended to her. He didn't feed her or change her and left her alone in her crib all day while he drank and sat in silence in his bedroom. Eventually though, he came to realize this child was his to care for. She was dead and he had to get over it. He had to make sure she survived this cruel world and that she was strong enough to protect herself. He wouldn't let her make the same mistake that he and her mom made. Love was a mistake, a foolish lie that can't exist in this cruel world. So he didn't show Annie any. He cut love out of his life and made sure she never felt it. He trained her hard, long nights and early mornings of physical and mental discipline, without a single sign of compassion or care.

It wasn't long until Annie found herself wanting to leave. Her "friends" Reiner and Bertholdt were joining the scouting legion and she had asked them if she could come along. There were not many jobs available in their home village and the military was a common future for the teenagers. So Annie found herself packing her bags and on her way out the door to her new life, not before getting a final lecture from her father though.

"_The world is your enemy Annie! Promise me you will never love! Annie! Promise me!"_

Her father's words now echoed in her mind. She never understood why her father had this obsession with protecting her from the world. Why she was never allowed to be close with anyone around her. Reiner and Bertholdt weren't even her friends, just the only people who made a slight attempt to connect with her when her father was busy with other things. She never felt love; she had overheard the other trainees talking about love and relationships but had never felt the things they discussed, until today. The ache in her chest, the heat in her cheeks, the rubber feeling in her legs all matching the descriptions she had overheard, but Annie being the cold heartless girl she was, mistook these feelings for something else.

_Maybe he's just mocking me, just trying to get a rouse out of me, fucking with me-. But what if he's not? What if it's true passion? I need to consult someone about this._

"And I know exactly who to talk to..." Annie said out loud concluding her thoughts as she started to jog back to the girl's barracks.

* * *

Eren sprinted through the forest at top speed, dodging trees, branches, roots, stumps, animals and anything else in the way of his mission to get back to the barracks as fast as possible. His body was flowing with adrenaline, excitement and fear; he was worried that Annie was chasing after him after his concluding comment. She was surely ready to kill him after that cheeky comment. His blood was pumping and he kept running, but eventually he got lost in his thoughts.

_I'm such an idiot. Why the hell would I say that to her. Do I have a death wish? I didn't even think about it. It just squeaked out. Of all people I could've complimented I chose Annie, the toughest and baddest bitch in the 104__th__ trainee squad. I've surely dug my own grave. _

There was a reason that Eren had told Annie of all people but he hadn't come to the conclusion himself yet. He was too foolish and idiotic to realize his true feelings for Annie. Another thing he didn't realize was the low branch that was hidden behind a thick tree and as Eren rounded a tree he came face to face with branch.

.

.

.

_Oh my god, _Eren thought as he held his head hopelessly, he was bleeding profusely from his forehead. _Where did that branch come from, _Eren thought as he chuckled lightly, grimacing from the pain. Eren had now realized that Annie wasn't following him and couldn't really care less anymore if she was. He collapsed from the pain. He lay down on the forest floor and closed his eyes, letting the sun gleam through his closed eyelids. Right before Eren could lose himself to sleep; a shadow blocked the gleam of the Sun from Eren's closed eyes.

"Annie..?" Eren whispered almost silently.

"Eren!" the figure yelled and grabbed him by the shoulders pulling him up into her arms.

Eren opened his eyes wide when he realized that it wasn't Annie's voice that had called his name, "Mikasa..?"

"Yes Eren, it's me," she spoke softly. "I was looking around for you and found you here lying on the ground. Why are you out here again? Don't tell me you were thinking about mom and home again?" she questioned as if she already knew the answer.

Eren's face turned red, he had known that Mikasa was keen to following him and protecting him but he didn't enjoy it when she babied him. He knew that she would comfort him if she knew he was thinking about home. Which he was at first, but then Annie came strolling in and made him forget all about it, she had that power on him. Right now however he couldn't return Mikasa's glare. She kneeled in front of him waiting for his answer. They sat there in silence for a several minutes taking in each other's presence.

Eren finally decided to speak up, "Yes Mikasa, you're right I was thinking about home and mom and dad. I'm sorry for running from you and hiding here but sometimes I just need to reminisce and let my thoughts out…" He paused to let the information sink in. "However you should be happy to know that my grieving did not last long. I got distracted by some other thoughts," Eren couldn't help but unleash his thoughts about the blonde girl that were encased in his head.

"What other thoughts," Mikasa said quickly and abruptly.

"Well I've been thinking about this girl a lot recently. I can't get her off my mind. She's beautiful, smart, caring, tough…" Eren trailed on.

Mikasa was starting to get curious and wondered what girl could affect Eren so much to make him forget about his grief. She was so lost in her thoughts that she wasn't even listening to the rest of the qualities Eren was listing off.

"She's a petit little girl, with a hot body and sparkling eyes, her hair is glowing and she's got a smile that could knock any guy out…." He trailed on with Mikasa not registering a single word, until his very last sentence, which blew all thoughts out of Mikasa's mind.

"And I-I..think..I-I might love her…" Eren stuttered his last words.

And then it hit her. The final words that came out of his voice made her realize it. It was her, the girl was her. Eren loved her. "E-Eren.." was all Mikasa could push out while hiding her blush under her scarf.

"I know Mikasa, I know. This world is not the place or time for love. We are training to eradicate the titans and the last thing I need is a relationship but I can't help the thoughts. I think about this girl all day, every day and I can't stop it. She's special."

Mikasa's blush deepened, her entire face turning beet red to the point where she could no longer hide it behind her scarf. "I-I think that you should tell her… Maybe not today but she should know. You're right that this isn't the time or place for a relationship, but it also doesn't give us time to hide our feelings. In this world you could die tomorrow, even if it's not from the titans, people die in training too. You don't want to die with regrets." Mikasa internally scoffed at her own words due to the irony of what she was saying. She's had these feelings for Eren for years now and had never confessed them to him. She always hoped that one day he would stop being oblivious to her feelings and realize the real reason she babies him. She was too afraid that he only thought of her as a sister and wouldn't return her feelings. She wanted him to be the one to confess to her.

"You're right Mikasa, I should tell her. I'll do it when the time is right! Thanks Mika, you're the best!" he stated excitedly to her and planted a kiss on her cheek before running off back to the barracks.

Mikasa just stood there for a few seconds, holding the cheek he had kissed. Eren was not one to show affection. She caressed her cheek, her blush couldn't deepen anymore more than it already had. So she just stood there with a smile spreading from ear to ear and whispered to herself, "I love you, Eren Yeager."

* * *

Back at the girl's dorm, Annie entered her room shutting the door behind her quietly. It was dark outside now, she had missed dinner but thankfully some leftovers were left out for her and what she assumed Eren when they returned from the forest. She had eaten her food and was now attempting to sneak into her room without waking her roommate, which proved unsuccessful.

"Hey Annie, where have you been?" asked Annie's polite but very eccentric roommate Mina Carolina.

Mina was the only person in the trainee squad that Annie was somewhat comfortable with. She was her roommate so Annie didn't have much of a choice of opening up to her or not. Mina didn't make it easy either; she was persistent since the start. Annie thought she could get away with being a silent, anti-social cadet but Mina had other plans. She kept pressuring Annie with questions, accusations and more questions. The questions never stopped until Annie finally starting answering them to get her off of her back. Now she found herself fairly close to the pig-tailed girl. Although they had opposite personalities, Mina was eccentric, hyper and social, where Annie was anti-social, calm, and angry. They complimented each other though and formed a nice balance of sugar and spice.

"I was just wandering around in the forest," she responded casually.

"Ah, I see. That's… interesting I guess. Anything interesting happen?" she questioned.

"No, not really," she blatantly lied. "Sorry for waking you."

"It's okay, I technically wasn't asleep yet," A silence broke out, although only to be broken a few seconds later, "Is everything alright? You seem on edge, which isn't normal for you," Mina stated waiting for Annie's response, but she already knew something was up.

_Oh Sina! I know this is a huge mistake but here goes nothing. _"Well… actually there is something."

Mina had jumped out of bed at these words, in a split second she had grabbed Annie by the wrist and was dragging her over to her bed. Mina gently threw Annie onto the bed, moving to sit next to her, "Tell me, tell me please!" She yelled excited beyond imagination.

_Why am I doing this to myself? _Annie thought. _Here goes nothing, _"Well you see there is this boy-"

"AHHHH! Annie it's a boy! Oh my god! You're not asexual?" She interrupted shrieking.

Annie sighed and face palmed simultaneously at her reaction. _This really was a mistake. _Annie started to stand up trying to return to her own bed but Mina gripped her shoulder holding her down.

"Annie I'm only joking. It's a pretty big deal, you've never shown any interest in anyone, let alone a boy," Annie just glared at Mina with a very unimpressed look. "Sorry, I'll be serious now. C-Continue," Mina spoke nervously.

"Fine," She deadpanned. "Anyways, there is this boy and he really bugs the shit out of me. He never leaves me alone and won't stop talking to me. But the one thing that really bugs me is he keeps calling me cute," she pronounced the last word bitterly.

Mina wasn't quite sure how to react at first, Annie seemed generally pissed off and she didn't really know what to say. She decided to just tell her what she thought of his actions, "Awww Annie, I think he likes you! He really likes you! Who is it? Tell me!"

"No way Mina! There's no way I would tell you, half the world would know about it by tomorrow." She laughed.

"Annie please." Mina pleaded.

"No Mina." She deadpanned.

"Fine," Mina pouted for several seconds and then one question popped into her head, "well do you like him back?" She asked.

"No!" Annie yelled abruptly. "He's annoying and I just want him to leave me alone."

"Then why are you so flustered?" Mina smirked. Mina had known Annie long enough now to understand when something was bothering her, even with her stoic attitude.

Annie sighed and decided that she had made it this far, she might as well tell her about the weird aches, "Well you see… whenever he speaks to me I get this ache in my chest. I get all hot in my cheeks and ears and I can't make it stop and I don't really understand why."

"Annie! You like him back! Oh my god Annie Leonhart likes a guy. I've got to tell EVERYBODY!" Mina squealed.

Annie grabbed Mina by the collar and got right up in her face, "Mina I will kill you, but first I will rip your voice box out and shove it up your-"

"Annie! I get it, enough!" Mina's voice cracked. "D-Do you w-want my opinion or n-not?" Mina could barely speak as Annie breathed in her face. Annie just nodded waiting for her to continue. "I-I," She cleared her throat and calmed her nerves. "I think you should tell him how you feel. I know you don't know what any of these feelings mean, but you like him and he likes you. Annie this could be good for you, you need to loosen up. Love is a special thing that you'll never understand until you experience it yourself," Mina cowered under her arms afraid Annie would pummel her.

Annie contemplated her point, eventually realizing that Mina wouldn't leave it alone until she did it. She had made the mistake of telling her in the first place and now she was knee deep in shit. "Okay I will. I'll tell him," She said stoically.

"Oh ANNIE!" Mina screamed and pulled her into a hug.

* * *

"What's all that screaming about next door?" Sasha asked Mikasa while they lay in their beds trying to fall asleep.

"Probably just Mina freaking out again," Mikasa sighed.

Mikasa and Sasha had built a friendship over their time in the training corps. They had trained together a couple of times and although Mikasa teased Sasha a lot, she respected Sasha and how she didn't care what others thought about her, even after she had lied to everyone and said Sasha had farted in the dining room.

Mikasa had shared her bread with Sasha once and that's all it took to win her over.

"So Mikasa… any new gossip?" Sasha questioned now that Mina's yelling had woken them from their state of slumber.

"Well actually there's something I've been meaning to tell you," Sasha had sat up in her bed, she was now seated cross legged waiting for Mikasa to continue, "I spoke to Eren today and well… he told me about this girl, this special girl who he couldn't stop thinking about and he started listing off qualities about her." She paused. "And w-well they matched my description."

Sasha gasped, Sasha had known about Mikasa's feelings for Eren since day 1. She had seen the way Mikasa babied him, I mean who hadn't, and everyone could tell she loved Eren more than just family. However Sasha had consulted Mikasa about it one night and eventually pressured her to confess the hidden feelings.

"Oh my god Mikasa! No way!" Sasha was bouncing around her bed like a child.

"An-And he said that he thinks he's in love with her."

"What?!" Sasha yelled before falling off her bed face first into the floor.

**There was a knock on the wall from next door.**

"Hey! Keep it down over there!" Mina yelled from the other side of the wall.

"You should talk Mina! The whole world can hear you!" Mikasa yelled back.

.

There was silence

.

Mikasa swore she heard someone mumble 'smart ass' from the other side of the wall, but thought nothing of it.

Sasha lay on the floor from her fall, a little bit dazed. She immediately ran over to Mikasa once she had shaken off the stars and grabbed her shoulders, "You need to tell him Mikasa! Now is the perfect time! He is finally realizing his feelings!" She spat in her face.

"No! He is still my brother and he always flips out on me. He would never feel the same way back. A girl can only dream," Mikasa's face dropped.

"Mikasa you and I both know that's bullshit! Stop denying the fact you guys are perfect for each other. He's your adoptive brother, it's not incest. Grow a pair and-"

Sasha was interrupted by the door to their room swinging open and smashing against the wall. Both girls' heads turned to face the burly bald man standing in their doorway. He had a look on his face that every trainee feared, his dark eyes glaring them both down.

"S-Sir?" Both girls squealed.

"Shut up you brats! People are trying to fucking sleep and your whiny little voices are giving me a headache!

"S-sorry, sir we-"

*SLAM*

* * *

The next morning Eren prepared himself for the day, getting dressed up in his sweater and jacket, pulling up his boots and mentally preparing himself for his training session with Annie.

_Alright this is my chance to prove to Annie how tough I am. I can prove my worth and then maybe she will give me a chance at being her friend. My compliments don't seem to be working so far and she broke my nose for Sina sakes. Well at least she apologized, so maybe I'm making some progress. I've got to show her that I'm tough and can take her down, but at the same time I don't want to hurt her. She's a tough girl but if I ever hurt her I couldn't live with myself. She's so cute and adorable-_

Eren's thoughts were interrupted by the alarm signalling the beginning of training, "Shit! I'm going to be late!" Eren went running out the door.

"Late again," Annie stated. "You're creating a bad reputation for yourself Yeager."

"Sorry. To be honest I don't really have an excuse, I just got lost in my thoughts," he responded guiltily.

"Big surprise," She deadpanned.

"So, do you think you could actually teach me your technique today instead of just kicking my ass?" Eren smirked.

"Don't be a smart ass." Annie told him, but couldn't hide the small smirk on her face. "There's only one way to learn and that's the hard way. Man up Yeager," and with that comment Annie lunged at Eren.

They wrestled each other for several minutes, swapping punches, kicks, knees and other simple combat moves, until Eren finally gave in to his exhaustion and Annie took advantage. She used her technique to knock Eren to the ground and straddled his hips, holding his arms above his head pinning him, "Gotcha!" she said with the smallest of smiles breaking on her lips.

"There it is again." Eren smiled as well.

"What?" Annie asked confused.

"That smile," he replied. A silence broke out between them as Eren took in all of her glory, the smile that he loved so much, looking down on him. Then he noticed something, "You've got some dirt on your cheek," Eren said while placing his hand there. He rubbed the dirt off with his thumb slowly and his smile grew, as he could feel the heat in her cheeks.

It felt as if time stopped and it was only Eren and Annie lying there on the training ground. They stared into each other's eyes with Eren cupping Annie's cheek and refusing to remove his hand, but Annie didn't seem to care because they were both lost in each other's eyes. Annie's blue eyes reminded Eren of the Ocean that Armin had told him about, the vast salt water that expanded huge areas outside of the wall. It reminded him of his goal to get to the outside of the walls, to break the barriers holding him in. The fire that was lit inside of him after his mother's death and Annie's eyes brought it out of him and in this moment his desire for her grew.

Annie on the other hand had different thoughts.

_Why is he touching me again? What did I tell you Yeager? _"What did I tell you about touching me?" Annie stated more than questioned, but her tone was calmer than before. Eren made no attempt to move his hand; he was lost in her eyes and didn't even register her comment. Annie however was now caught in his eyes as well.

Eren's emerald eyes sparkled in the sunlight so much that Annie could see her reflection in his eyes. She stared into his eyes. _Green eyes, I don't think I've ever seen green eyes before. It's a pretty rare sight, not many people are privileged with them. Unique some would say, but I guess Eren's a unique boy. He's definitely different; I don't know how he manages to keep such an upbeat attitude about life with all the shit that's going on. He is one special boy. _And at that moment Annie recalled Mina's words. _'Make the first move Annie, it asserts dominance and shows that you're serious about the relationship.' _With that Annie found herself subconsciously leaning towards Eren. Eren's hand on her cheek warming up her entire body and her lips parted slightly as she slowly leaned into him.

Eren noticed this, finally breaking him out of his trance. _What is she doing? Is she..? No way! In front of everyone?_ At that moment Annie had closed her eyes and was passed the point of no return. Eren realized this as well and went for broke. _Who cares if people see._ He closed his eyes and leaned forward to meet her. Their lips were only inches away from each other; they could feel the breath from each other's mouths on each other's lips, both cadets breathing fast and coarse. The distance between them about to be closed and their lips sealed in their first kiss-

"EREN! Where are you?!" Sasha yelled from across the training grounds.

The sudden shriek startling Eren and caused him to jump up bumping his forehead with Annie's, causing both cadets to grimace in pain.

"What the fuck Yeager!" Annie yelled.

"I'm sorry, she scared the shit out of me," Eren rubbed his forehead.

"Whatever," Annie deadpanned also rubbing her forehead. _This was a mistake anyways._ Her emotional wall reconstructing itself and as if their moment had never existed she stood up, brushing the dirt of her knees and walking away as Sasha approached Eren.

"Annie! Wait!" Eren pleaded, but it was too late.

_Fuck, _Eren cursed. _SO close!_

* * *

**A/N:**

**I apologize for the conversations between Mina/Annie and Sasha/Mikasa, I'm a dude and I really don't know how girls talk about guys and stuff. Sorry, I hope I did it some justice. Poor Mikasa she's clueless. To address Sasha's character, a lot of other fics that I've read have given Sasha an accent; I'm not the greatest at typing accents so I kept her voice normal. I also apologize if any characters are slightly out of character, I changed their personalities slightly to match the storyline, I'm trying to keep them generally cannon though.**

**Also I said last chapter that chapter 2 would be dedicated to Annie and Eren's relationship, but I need to build up the relationship first. Next chapter will be full of Eren and Annie moments I promise, but don't hold me to my word haha. Also next chapter we welcome Armin.**


	3. Unfinished Business

**A/N: This chapter contains a smut scene; you can skip it if you are not comfortable with it. There will be a warning at the start of the scene. It is also my first attempt at writing smut so take it easy on me please, it is meant to be a little awkward, it is Eren and Annie's first time together. Enjoy chapter 3.**

* * *

Chapter 3 – Unfinished Business

Eren sat by his big tree in the forest once again. He always found himself lost in his thoughts when he sat next to this tree. It was a place of recollection for him and he usually found himself here at least once a day. Most days he thought about his family; his mom, dad, Mikasa and Armin back then, not how they were now, back when they lived a normal life. Yes it was a life where they lived like livestock but Eren would trade anything now to go back to those days, to have his mother back and to see his father again.

However today was different, Eren wasn't thinking about his family and past life. He had a smile on his face and the cause of it, Annie Leonhart, if there was one good thing about being in the corps, it was meeting her. Today he couldn't stop thinking about the events that had transpired a few days ago. How they had both leaned in for the kiss, it was going to happen; he could feel her breath on his lips and could practically taste her sweet lips. They had been so close and although Eren was still pissed off at Sasha for unintentionally breaking them up, he couldn't help but smirk at the moment now. _I almost kissed Annie Leonhart!_

Back at the barracks the rest of the trainees were preparing to sit down for lunch when Mikasa noticed something out of place. _Where was Eren? He would usually be sitting down already or causing some sort of ruckus with Jean. _

"Has anyone seen Eren?" She asked out loud to no one in particular.

Everyone in the room had turned in her direction and were all staring at her. Most of the trainees just sighed and continued preparing the dinner tables; they knew how over-protective Mikasa was and paid no mind to it. A few of the trainees just shook their heads and shrugged to show they had no idea where he was. Armin whom had already known that Mikasa was having a mini heart attack losing track of Eren calmed her down, "I'm sure he's fine Mikasa, probably just out for a walk or taking a nap I'm sure," he told her in a soft voice while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Mikasa wasn't convinced and shook his hand off her shoulder, "I'm going to go find him," she said calmly, her nerves settling slightly due to Armin's soothing nature.

Armin just sighed and walked away knowing that there was nothing more he could do to convince her that Eren was fine and her task was unnecessary. A couple tables down from Armin and Mikasa, a petite blonde girl sat alone eavesdropping on their conversation. Annie had a suspicion of her own; _I've got an idea of where you are Yeager._

* * *

Annie wandered through the shady forest, it was quite a humid day but the trees provided a cooling shade. She returned to the spot she recalled from a couple days ago, leaning against a tree and taking in the spectacle in front of her. A wild Yeager was sitting down leaning against the big tree she had found him sobbing at a few days ago. Today was a different sight though as Annie admired the smile on his face and couldn't help herself but to smile as well, it came naturally as her lips twitched upwards uncontrollably. After a couple minutes of spying on the boy, Annie decided it was time to reveal herself. She emerged from the bushes, "What are you smiling at?" She questioned him.

Eren who was looking down playing with the grass between his fingers was startled by her voice, jumping slightly at the sound and her appearance. "Annie… What are you doing here?" he inquired.

"Mikasa was flipping shit back at the barracks wondering where you had run off to. I had a hunch I would find you here, but someone doesn't look so sad," she teased.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Maybe I am? What are you going to do about it?" She challenged him.

Eren had stood up now and was glaring at Annie, she could see fire in his eyes and although she was playing around, he was serious about challenging her. Annie mimicked his fighting position; she had taught it to him as a matter of fact. She put her hand out and raised two fingers challenging him to come at her. Eren didn't hesitate and charged immediately throwing a punch at her side; she easily blocked his strike and countered with her own. She took advantage of his eagerness and began throwing 3-4 combos to his stomach. She couldn't help but notice how hard his abdominal muscles were and this distraction caused her to falter on one of her jabs and Eren caught it with his hand. He followed up with a sweep of his leg forcing her to the ground on her back, but he had tangled his leg with hers and began to stumble down along with her. They hit the ground hard with Eren lying on top of Annie; they were both flustered and currently distracted by their predicament.

"Smooth move Yeag-"Annie started to tease but was muffled by his lips. A tingling feeling spread throughout her body, shivers going down her neck and spine, butterflies vacating her stomach, goosebumps populating her arms and neck and a huge blush on her face. She didn't know how to react at first, she knew how close they had been the other day to kissing but didn't think too much of it afterwards, trying to focus on training. But now she was laying here with Eren on top of her and he didn't give her time to think about anything as he was pushing his lips into hers. She didn't move her mouth, still trying to figure out what she thought of his actions and then it hit her, anger. _No one dominates me and then takes advantage of me like that_, she thought. In a split second, she had pushed Eren in the chest, throwing him off of her, eliciting a sharp gasp from his mouth as they parted lips and planted a kick right in his crotch. Eren fell to his knees grasping his groin, a single tear falling from his eye. He managed to say between gasps of pain, "Wh-Why… A-Annie? Fuck."

"You took advantage of me. That wasn't a fair move," she stated while standing up and brushing the dirt of her rear. She was referring to his kiss but she didn't want to directly mention it.

Eren just stared at her blankly, still grimacing from pain. He was filled with confusion; they had almost kissed a few days ago, so why was she being so aggressive towards him now that he had actually done it. Had he misconceived the entire moment from a couple days ago, was he just imagining her leaning in and it was really only him. He was beginning to doubt himself and all the reasons he had made the move.

Annie on the other hand had come to a realization, she missed his lips. She missed the feeling of her blood and adrenaline pumping fast and the goosebumps on her skin. She felt an emptiness in her body that she had never felt before in her life. Eren had noticed the change in Annie's expression, her anger dissipating into emptiness and lust. Before Eren could say anything about his discovery, Annie had tackled him to the ground eliciting another grunt from deep in his throat.

"Jesus Christ Annie, fu-"this time she was the one to silence him with her lips, but not for long. Eren pushed her back, "What are you doing?" He didn't get an answer though because she crashed her lips into his again, harder this time. Eren was too shocked to react, _what is she doing? She just freaked out on me and now she's the one attacking me. What's going on?_

Annie was getting frustrated with his lack of cooperation. She felt rejected and now felt what Eren had minutes ago, when she rejected his kiss. So she grabbed the back of his neck and pushed her lips deeper inserting her tongue into his mouth. Finally Eren gave into her desire, her want was too much for him to resist. He began to move his lips along with hers and massaged her tongue as well. They fought for dominance and rolled around on the forest floor. Eren grabbed her hips and squeezed hard as he pressed his lips into hers harder causing both their lips to swell up. Annie tugged at the back of his hair massaging his scalp and pulling on his hair every so often. After a couple of minutes they needed to separate for air, both of their heart rates had spiked like crazy, they were gasping for breath from the aftermath of their wrestling. Once their breathing had calmed Eren mumbled, "You're a psychopath."

"Now is that anyway to treat a lady?" Annie joked.

"Normal ladies don't kick me in the crotch and then jump my bones."

"Don't doubt the fact that I'll still kick your ass, despite our situation."

"I'd let your pretty ass beat me up any day," he winked.

Annie sighed, "That was so lame!" still blushing in the process.

A long silence broke out between the two. Although it was not awkward, it was quite comforting for the two, they just took in each other's company. They kept sneaking looks at each other and blushing but neither wanted to break the silence. Finally Annie broke it, "We should probably be getting back," she stated while standing up and turned in the opposing direction.

Eren grabbed her wrist before she could take a step, "Wait!" He said abruptly, too loud for their proximity, their eyes connected and she saw worry, nerves and angst in them. He paused before uttering his next words, "Annie, will you go out with me?" He paused again, "I know this isn't the most ideal time for a relationship, but I really like you Annie. You make my sorrow go away, I need you."

Annie was shocked; she did not see this coming at all. It wasn't as much the request that caused her shock, but the way he said it. He said it with so much lust and desperation. He meant it, he really needed her. _What am I supposed to do? To say? Oh Sina! Look at those eyes, _Eren looked up at her, his eyes sparkled in the moonlight. She watched as his gaze turned from worry to disappointment. She then realized how long she had been standing there in silence, staring blankly at him; she had to give him an answer now.

'_Annie the world is your enemy,' Her Dad's voice echoed in her head._

'_Annie, go for it! Someone who cares for you and loves you is amazing! It is a special feeling that can't be described,' Mina's voice countered in her head. _

_I'm sorry Dad, but this boy isn't my enemy, he's different, he's special._

"O-Okay," she whispered.

But Eren had heard it, "Really?!" He released the breath that he had subconsciously been holding in. He grabbed her hand, "Awesome! Okay lets head back then," Eren knew not too push her limits any farther.

They were making their way back to the barracks when Mikasa appeared sprinting towards them, Eren realizing that him and Annie's hands were still locked, pulled away. Annie gave him a glare showing that she was disappointed by his action, but she was interrupted, "Annie you found him!" Mikasa screamed pulling Eren into a tight embrace. "Eren I've been worried sick! I've been looking everywhere for you."

Annie felt a slight pang in her chest, but it was different than the one Eren caused, it was anger, a frustration. _Is this jealousy? I guess so_, she thought. She grabbed Mikasa's shoulder with a lot of aggression, "I think we should head back now," she growled.

"Oh, yeah sure," she replied.

They started walking back but Eren stopped Mikasa, "One second Mikasa, I need to tell Annie something," Eren interrupted their walk and pulled Annie to the side. "Annie, we can't tell Mikasa about us," he said while wagging his finger between their bodies, "it's against the code of conduct (it was against the code of conduct of the trainee squad to have a relationship or participate in sexual interactions with fellow corps mates) and you know… she won't give us any privacy," he winked at her and ran off back towards Mikasa.

"You son of a bitch!"

* * *

(A couple weeks later)

Armin sat in the library, which was just a small room with a couple armchairs and bookshelves filled with books about titans. The squad members came here to study for their knowledge tests, but Armin just enjoyed hanging out in there. It was a quiet spot where he could think and write in his journal. He depicted his adventures in the corps and wrote down his thoughts every day in his notebook.

_Journal Entry #52_

_Today we continued our training with the 3DMG gear and performed time trials in the forest. Mikasa dominated everyone else as usual and nobody came close to her time. I think she's going to finish at top of the class, good for her, then she can join the military police and be safe within Wall Sina. There was one girl who really impressed me though, Annie. I've been following her progression in the training and she is really getting up there. If my projections are correct, she should finish around 3rd or 4__th__ in the class, but it's not her training that really impresses me. I've been sneaking looks at her for weeks now and I can't get over her. She's extremely pretty; her sapphire eyes shine like the clear sky on a perfect day, her hair that glows like the Sun accentuates her eyes, she's practically the same height as me and her toned body is just… wow. I don't usually think about girls like this, but she is one special girl. Although she's got a weird attitude and personality to her; she's so stoic and shallow, her dark attitude towards everything is off-putting for everyone else, but it intrigues me. Except last time I tried to ask her about her life before joining the corps, she threatened to cut my hair and whip me with it. She's definitely different, but I like her like that. She seems to be lightening up to Eren too, so maybe I've got a shot at breaking down her walls and befriending her. I think I'm going to ask Eren how he got so close with her, I'll tell him about my feelings towards Annie, he's my best friend after all, maybe he can put in a good word for me._

* * *

It was the trainees' day off today on the training grounds. Every week the trainees got one day of the week to blow off steam and relax after their vigorous training. All of the girls of the corps were hanging out in Christa's room like every other day off, it was there chance to be normal girls again; they gossiped and did each other's makeup and hair. Usually all the girls were there except for Mikasa and Annie because the two always refused. Mikasa's reason was so she could watch over Eren and make sure he didn't do anything stupid and Annie's reason was she simply hated girls. However today the girls had forced Mikasa into hanging out with them and when Eren had reassured her that he would be fine she gave in and agreed to their requests. So for once Eren was alone and he and Annie were hanging out in Annie's room.

"You know, you really should hang out with the girls, I feel bad taking you away from their 'things'," Eren told Annie.

"It is fine, really, I don't even want to hang out with them, they're so gossipy and annoying, you think the corps would change their attitudes and thinking, but nope," Annie replied.

"You really are something else, huh," Eren chuckled earning him a glare from Annie, "I just feel bad that they don't even invite you."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Annie glared at Eren, "Fine," Annie stated turning away from Eren and looking at the wall crossing her arms over her chest, pouting.

"No, no, no," Eren pleaded, he crawled across the floor and leaned his weight onto her shoulder and arm, positioning his face inches away from her face.

"Of course I'm not trying to get rid of you," he planted a soft, sweet kiss on her neck causing shivers to travel down her spine.

"It's our day off, the only time we get to be together," he planted another kiss on her jawline emitting goosebumps on her neck and arms.

"Plus with Mikasa busy with the girls, we finally get some privacy," he planted a long, soft kiss on her cheek grabbing her sides and squeezing simultaneously.

**(Smut scene starts here, skip if you are uncomfortable)**

The last kiss pushed Annie over the limit; she grabbed his neck and pulled him into her lips. The impact forced them both to the ground with Eren on top of her as their lips collided, both of them fighting for dominance. Annie ran her hand through his thick brown hair and massaged the back of his scalp. All the while Eren slowly ran his hands along Annie's body, squeezing her hips and sides every so often.

Annie ran her tongue along Eren's upper lip asking for entrance into his mouth. Eren gladly obliged her and their tongues battled for dominance along with their bodies. Annie flipped them over positioning herself on top, in the dominate position; she pulled back from his lips with a smirk on her face. Eren was upset that she had pulled away and tried to pull her back in, he was eager and Annie knew it. She pushed him back down to the floor and grinded her hips into his jeans, eliciting a moan from him and causing his breath to hitch; she loved to tease him. She also liked the way his hardness rubbed against her crotch and put a fire in her stomach, but she would never admit that to him.

Eren was getting frustrated that he was losing the battle of dominance, as much as he loved the way she grinded on him, he was stubborn and wanted to give her the pleasure. He pulled her neck into his mouth sucking hard on the flesh and muscle. He grazed his teeth on her skin eliciting a moan from her lips and caused her to grind harder into him. He began to suck harder and harder until Annie shoved him off again.

"Easy there tiger, you're going to leave a mark," she said in her flustered state. He face was all red and she was sweating profusely from their wrestling on the ground.

Eren was shocked by her reaction; he didn't understand why she had pushed him away, "I want to leave a mark!" He said stubbornly while attempting to pull her into another kiss, however she resisted. "I want everyone to know you are mine," his voice was full of lust.

Annie smirked, she wanted everyone to know she was his as well, and the way he said it turned her on. "Okay, how about we make a deal. I'll prove I'm yours a different way."

Before Eren could question her, she had pulled off her shirt and was straddling him in nothing but her bra and shorts. Eren stared at her in disbelief, she looked extremely beautiful in her state and he scanned her body up and down.

Eren and Annie had never passed first base, they had made out a couple times when they had the chance, but they never had enough time to take it any further due to jeopardizing their privacy and secret. Today was the first day they had alone together and Annie wasn't wasting any time, she had waited long enough for this and had wanted to ravish him since their first kiss. They had built up so much lust and craving for each other over the past month that she couldn't hold back any longer. Neither could Eren, but he was being gentlemanly about it and was letting her make the first move because he didn't want to pressure her into anything. So when Annie said, "unclip my bra," in a seductive voice, all of his restraint was lost and he reached up, fumbling with the clip but eventually unclipping it and ripping it off her body. He threw it to side and stared at her in all of her glory. He had never seen a shirtless girl before other than Mikasa when they were children and some of the girls in the magazines that Connie had snuck under his bed and he couldn't get over how sexy she looked in her bare state.

Annie laughed at him as he was lost in his desires; she pulled off his shirt quickly, revealing his toned muscles, _training had been kind to him, _she thought. This action forced Eren out of his euphoria and he reached up pulling Annie into another kiss, but she pushed him back down once again leaning on his chest with her two hands. Eren was getting real sick of being pushed away and was about to complain when she said, "nuh uh, I'm all yours remember." She kissed his neck softly and trailed down to his chest, where she planted a kiss in between his pecs. She continued trailing down his abs and eventually reached his belt buckle. She kissed his belt buckle and then his hardness through his jeans; evoking a moan from his mouth. She slowly unzipped his fly and unclasped his belt buckle; she pulled off his belt quickly and threw it across the room. She unbuttoned his jeans and in one swift motion pulled his jeans and underwear down to his knees, exposing his rock hard erection. Eren who was lost in euphoria again now felt embarrassed that he was exposed and attempted to cover himself up with his hand. Annie pushed his hand away and grasped his shaft with her left hand, _it's so hard, _Annie thought to herself.

But now Annie was lost, she had been acting on instinct up until now and had now come to the realization that she had no idea what she was doing. She had Eren's cock in her hand and what the hell was she supposed to do now, she had overheard the girls talk about experiences with their boyfriends back home, but this was her first time and no one had taught her how to do anything. She only knew so much, but she did know that guys liked to stroke themselves so she began to slowly stroke his shaft.

Eren threw his head back against the floor releasing a grunt from his throat. He had pleasured himself a couple times back home, after him and Armin had read a book on puberty, he decided he would experiment with himself that night, but he hadn't even thought about that since he got to the corps and he forgot how good it felt.

"Annie…" Her name slipped from his mouth.

Annie panicked at the sound of her name, her immediate thought being that she was doing something wrong, hurting him maybe. She released her grip from his member and looked into Eren's eyes with worry, "W-What? Am I doing something wrong? S-Sorry," she spoke nervously, her voice hoarse.

"No, not at all," Eren said abruptly, he cupped her cheek with his hand, "You're doing great, it feels really good," he blushed at his confession.

This made the frown on Annie's face turn to a smirk, knowing that she was bringing Eren pleasure made her happy. Then she remembered something that she had overheard Sasha say and thought now would be a good time to test it out. She took Eren's hand from her cheek and locked her fingers with his; she lowered their hands down to her side and lowered her head down to his mid-section. Eren gasped because he knew what she was planning to do, "A-Annie are you sure you want to do that?"

Annie didn't respond she just ran her tongue up his shaft evoking a loud moan his mouth, all the while staring up at him with a judging eyes. She covered his mouth with her hand, "Shh," she told him placing her finger over her lips. Eren just nodded with her hand on his mouth, his eyes were glistening as he stared at her. Annie smiled back at him and inserted his member into her mouth, Eren moaned again, this time into her hand and placed one of his hands over hers in order to muffle it more. She bobbed her head up and down on his shaft with a steady pace and sucked on the tip of his cock periodically. She remembered what Sasha had said about using your tongue and flicked her tongue on his tip. Eren couldn't take much more of this torture, his cock was throbbing and he bucked his hips every time she sucked.

"A-Annie, I'm going to-" He couldn't finish his sentence because she had shoved his cock down her throat deep, "Annie!" He screamed her name, their two hands wasn't enough to muffle his yell as it echoed throughout the room. She pulled him out of her mouth and a stream of white liquid spewed out of his tip, some shooting into her mouth and the rest hitting her chest and falling onto his thighs and stomach. Annie gasped for air as a long string of spit dangled between her lips and Eren's member. Once her breathing had calmed she scooped the liquid off her chest with her fingers and licked it, swallowing it all down. She looked down at Eren who had collapsed on the floor, his eyes were closed and he was sweating. She could see a small smile on his lips and brought herself down onto his chest to snuggle up with him.

**(End of Scene)**

She leaned her head against his chest listening to his heart beat; it was still pounding from his excitation minutes ago. She closed her eyes and snuggled up her head against his chin, wrapping her arms around his neck. Eren released a deep sigh, "I love you Annie," he told her. She pulled her head off his chest and looked up at him; he was staring at her with a huge grin on his face. She was shocked by his sudden remark; it was a huge moment when a couple told each they loved each other. She wondered, _was he just saying it because he was lost in the moment or did he really mean it._ He never intended for her to reply however because he pulled her into another embrace, brushing the back of her hair with his hand, "you're all mine Ms. Leonhart, all mine," he told her planting soft kisses onto the top of her head. Annie felt her eyes start to water, she had never felt love before, and her father always shut her out. Like Mina had told her, this feeling was special and she couldn't really describe it, but she felt needed. Someone really cared for her and now the tears began to fall. Eren felt her tears fall onto his chest; he pulled her cheeks up to look her in the eyes. He stared into her eyes but didn't say a word; he saw the desire and care in them and knew they were happy tears. She had a smile on her face and Eren planted a kiss on her forehead. _I guess this was the feeling Mina described, _Annie thought, and if on cue, there was a knock on the door, "Annie are you in there?" It was Mina's voice. "I can't find my keys, I think they're in my backpack somewhere," she complained.

Annie began to panic, "what the fuck are we supposed to do," she had stood up now and whispered to Eren as she was looking around for a solution. Eren stood up with her and pulled up his pants quickly zipping them up and throwing on his shirt. Neither of them knew what to do. Annie whispered to Eren, "hide under the bed; I'll try to convince her to go away." Eren just nodded and slide himself under her bed keeping silent. Annie jumped into bed and pulled the covers over herself, "I'm in bed Mina, and I don't feel so well. I can't stand up so I can't open the door," she yelled at the door.

There was silence for several seconds and Annie heard rustling outside the door, "it's okay, I found them in my bag," she replied through the door. Annie heard the sound of the key being inserted into the door and the lock being opened. Seconds later the door opened and Mina walked in, "you aren't feeling well?" Mina questioned with a concerned tone.

"Not really," replied Annie peeking out from under the blanket. Mina walked into the corner of the room placing her bag on a chair, when she noticed something lying on the floor.

"Annie who's belt is this?" Mina asked holding it up in her direction.

"Uh, I'm not sure, probably mine," she replied staring at her and shrugging.

"And why is your bra and shirt lying on the floor," Mina said while picking up both articles of clothing. "Annie what's going on, you never get sick," Mina walked over to the bed Annie was laying in and stared at her. Something was up, Mina thought and she pulled the blanket off Annie's body.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Annie screamed at her covering up her breasts with her arms.

Mina covered her widening eyes quickly and turned around before screaming, "Why are you naked?!" Annie didn't reply and was too embarrassed to do anything. "A-Annie w-were you p-pleasuring yourself?" Mina questioned shyly.

"No!" Annie yelled back.

"Then why the hell are you naked?"

"I'm only half nak-"Annie was interrupted by a sneeze coming from below her bed. Her body froze and she knew they were fucked. Mina did a three-sixty and stared at the darkness below Annie's bed.

"Who's there?!" Mina yelled.

Eren knew they were screwed and he slowly emerged from the bottom of her bed, eliciting a huge gasp from Mina's mouth.

"E-Eren, what are you doing here?"

* * *

**These chapters keep getting longer and longer, I apologize or you're welcome depending on if you guys like long chapters. Please leave a review letting me know how you like the story so far and also if I should cut the chapters shorter. Let me know how my first smut scene was, it seemed kinda rushed to me, we will see, I'm not super happy about it, but it came out okay, let me know please. **


	4. Clueless Confessions

Chapter 4 – Clueless Confessions

Eren walked back to his room extremely gloomily and lethargic. He had just spent the last four hours explaining to Mina what was going on between him and Annie and answering all the questions she demanded.

_How long have you guys been dating?_

_Was it was love at first sight?_

_How many kids are you going to have?_

Mina replying to the answers with a lot of screaming and hugging because she was quote, "happy for them." Eren couldn't take any more of it; his head was going to explode. So, he had made an excuse that he was meeting up with Armin for a study session and he was already running late. However the excuse didn't bode well with Annie because he couldn't help but notice the death glare that she gave him as he exited the room. He was going to pay for that later.

Eren finally reached his room and opened the door to a desolate scene. The bedroom was empty and the room was spotless, they had an inspection that morning and it had to meet Shadis' expectation. His bed was made and it looked like heaven on earth to him right now because he was exhausted. He had almost fallen asleep hiding under Annie's bed; _I guess sex tires you out,_ Eren thought chuckling to himself. He removed his shoes and belt again, before climbing under the sheets and resting his head on his soft luscious pillow. He began to drift off into nothingness, when out of nowhere; there was a knock on the door.

Eren groaned at the door, a sign to the person to go away, but the knocking persisted. Eren covered his ears with the pillow smothered his face deep into it, trying to drain out the knocking until the person left. Finally the person behind the door spoke, "Eren it's me, open the door, I need to talk to you."

The voice was quiet and polite. A voice that Eren knew so well, one that belonged to his blonde childhood friend, the boy that shared his hopes and dreams to leave the walls and explore the outside world. However, Eren wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now, even his closest friend.

"Armin I'm trying to sleep!" Eren groaned.

"Eren please it's important," Armin pleaded knocking again to emphasize his urge to get inside.

Eren just responded with another groan and didn't move from his laying position. There was silence for several seconds and Eren let out a sigh of relief thinking the boy had left. Until he heard the sound of his door being unlocked and the door slowly opening. Eren flipped over, removing his head from his pillow and giving Armin a confused look.

"How the hell did you unlock the door?" He said with more curiosity than anger.

"I discovered a few days ago that the room keys are universal. They open all bedrooms in the barracks." Eren gave him a confused look, "I guess the survey corps don't care about theft and stuff, not like there is anything to steal anyways. Plus, it only works on all the boys bedrooms." Eren gave Armin a shocked look now. Armin didn't realize why he was so shocked and stared back at him, "what?" He stated.

"Why do you know that it doesn't work on the girls rooms," Eren asked with a huge grin on his face.

Armin nearly fell over when he realized what Eren meant, "I-I t-tried it o-on Mikasa's door… last time we h-hung out," Armin stuttered, sweat dripping down his forehead from embarrassment at Eren's accusation.

"Sheesh Armin, calm down. I'm only teasing. I know you're smart enough to figure these things out." Armin let out a sigh of relief at Eren's words and went to sit down on the bed across from him, one that belonged to Eren's roommate Connie, who never seemed to be in their room. "He's probably off being reckless and causing havoc with Sasha somewhere," Eren always told him.

"So, now that you disturbed my nap, what do you so desperately need to talk to me about," Eren asked Armin politely but still with a hint of mocking in his voice. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep, but he was always glad to help out his childhood friend.

"Well…" Armin started but trailed off looking to the floor in embarrassment, something that didn't go unnoticed by Eren.

"Armin what's up? You know you can tell me anything dude." Eren's words of encouragement gave Armin a spark of confidence and he lifted his eyes back to Eren's. Eren was smiling at him, but he could see the curiosity and worry in his eyes, pressing him to tell him about his problems.

Armin stood up and went to sit next to Eren, who patted him on the shoulder and rested his arm across his shoulders. "Come on dude, spit it out." He told him.

"A-Alright. You seem to be getting really close to Annie, right," it was a statement more than a question. Eren's stomach dropped, _oh shit. He knows. Armin knows about our secret relationship. First Mina and now him, sooner or later everyone's going to know and then we aren't going to be able to see each other at all. _With that thought Eren frowned and dropped his gaze to the floor.

Armin noticed this, "Eren, you alright?" he asked.

Eren's gaze flew up from the floor and rested on Armin again, "Uh, yeah, I'm good. Uh, yea me and Annie are pretty close you could say, I guess," he mumbled.

"Yeah, I've seen her sort of open up to you and I was wondering…" Armin trailed off again but kept his stare on Eren's eyes.

_Here it comes, _Eren thought_. He's going to ask me if Annie and I are dating and then probably tell Mikasa and then Jean and then we are screwed. _

"I was w-wondering how you guys got so close. Like how did you break her barriers, b-because I kind of, sort of, want to, d-do the same."

Eren was confused now, he thought Armin was going to ask if he and Annie were dating but now he is asking how they became friends, "What are you trying to say Armin?" Eren asked trying to clear up his confusion.

Armin replied with a sigh, he knew he was just going to have to be blunt and tell Eren exactly what he meant. Eren was too stubborn and oblivious to see what he was trying to tell him.

"I think that I have feelings for Annie," he told Eren quickly hoping that maybe he didn't hear it. Oh, but he definitely didn't miss it. Eren's eyes widened and his mouth became agape. But what Armin didn't know was Eren wasn't surprised because of his sudden confession, but for other reasons.

_Oh Sina! What the fuck am I supposed to do now. My best friend just confessed his feeling for my girlfriend, but he doesn't even know she's my girlfriend. This is a huge fucking mess! What am I supposed to do? Oh Sina! Oh Sina!_

Armin noticed that Eren was acting strange; his eyes were shaking back and forth as he stared at the bed in front of him and he was mumbling incomprehensive words to himself. "Eren, you okay?" But there was no response. "Eren?" Armin asked again but Eren was lost in his own thoughts. "Eren!" Armin shook Eren by the shoulders; finally bring him out of his trance.

"Ah!" Eren yelled when Armin shook him and quickly looked around remembering where he was.

Armin grabbed his shoulders and held him in place staring into his eyes, "Eren what's going on?"

It was Eren's turn to sigh now, he knew he had to tell Armin or else it might cause further problems. Even if it meant jeopardizing his relationship with Annie, Armin was his best friend and he deserved to know about his relationship with the girl he apparently had feeling for.

"Look Armin, there's something I need to tell you."

"Uh sure, what is it?" Armin looked extremely confused as he awaited an answer.

"Well… you see me and Annie-" Eren was suddenly interrupted by Mikasa barging through the door and into the bedroom. Both boys looked in her direction giving her a questioning look.

Mikasa stood in the doorway with a red bow in her obsidian hair. Her hair seemed straighter than usual and the red bow really brought out the dark shade of her hair, as well as accentuating her maroon scarf. Another thing that Eren noticed was that she was wearing make-up. Mikasa never wore make-up, well not many girls in the corps did, but Mikasa never wore make-up even back home in Shiganshina. He had only ever seen her wearing it once, when his mom had forced it upon her face for a family friend's wedding. Eren had told her that she didn't need the make-up back then, she was always beautiful, ever since the first day he ever saw her, the day he saved her life. He always knew she was beautiful, but they had built a platonic relationship towards each other over the years and although Mikasa was pretty, he never felt anything special towards her. However today was different. As Mikasa stood in his doorway, bearing make-up that actually made her look more beautiful. It was different than that day many years ago, back then Eren had thought the make-up was pointless on her face, but today it brought out her beauty even more. She looked stunning and it gave Eren butterflies in his stomach.

_This isn't right, _Eren thought. _I have never gotten this feeling from Mikasa before. She has always been beautiful, but today she is stunning, sexy… perfect. _Eren shook his head, _I'm in love with Annie, I can't be thinking about Mikasa this way, it's wrong._

As Eren contemplated these feelings, Mikasa had now situated herself right in front of him, "Eren where have you been all day?" she questioned.

Eren was broken out of his trance again, "W-What are you talking about? You were with the girls all day."

"Oh…" Mikasa now realized the stupidity of her question. She had been blinded by her desire to find Eren and see him for the first time today that she had asked him an idiotic question. "Yeah, sorry I forgot."

Eren gave Mikasa a look of confusion, _what's wrong with her, _he thought. This wasn't like Mikasa to be flustered about something and lose her composure. "What's wrong Mikasa? Something is up."

"N-Nothing is wrong Eren, I-I just missed you. We haven't seen each other all day," she whispered.

"Mikasa I'm not your kid brother, you don't have to be around me every second of the day!" Eren yelled at her frustrated with her obsession with being around him 24/7.

With that comment Armin had had enough. He loved his two childhood friends, but he could only take so much of their awkward, some might say sexual tension. He knew about Mikasa's feelings for Eren for a long time and how Eren was too stupid and oblivious to notice any of this. He also knew that secretly Eren felt the same way back but would never admit it.

"Alright Eren," Armin interrupted the uncomfortable silence between the two. "I think I'm going to head out now, we can finish this talk later. I'll let you two talk."

"Oh Armin, I didn't even see you there, sorry," Mikasa told him with an apologetic look in her eyes. Armin however didn't take offence from this, he knew Mikasa cared more about Eren then him and that she didn't ignore him on purpose. The three of them were the closest of friends, but she and Eren shared a closer bond, one that not many people in the world share.

"It's okay Mikasa, you two talk this out. I'll see you both later," and with that Armin left the room closing the door behind him softly, but not before seeing Eren give him an apologetic smile.

Several seconds after Armin had left; Mikasa and Eren stared at each other in silence, until Mikasa began to tear the bow in hair off.

"What are you doing?" Eren said loudly startling Mikasa and stopping her from tearing at the accessory.

"I'm taking this stupid crap off, I look ridiculous," she laughed at herself looking into the mirror across the room.

"No you don't!" Eren yelled. "You look beautiful…" He mumbled to himself, but Mikasa heard it.

Her heart began to race; Eren had just called her beautiful. She thought she looked ridiculous, but all the girls insisted she keep on the bow and make-up and Eren would for sure come crawling, they joked. The girls loved to tease her about her feelings for Eren; they loved seeing the blush on her face every time they brought up his name. They insisted she keep it on and that she looked stunning, she listened just to satisfy them, but didn't agree. Up until now, when Eren had said she looked beautiful, he had never told her that before. _Did he really mean it? Or was he just being nice? _A bunch of questions appeared in her mind, until she remembered a memory from years ago.

"What about that time you told me that make-up was stupid and pointless?" Mikasa asked him not able to meet his emerald orbs.

Eren rubbed the nape of neck embarrassingly, "ha," he chuckled. "You still remember that huh," he said nervously.

Mikasa just replied with a nod of her head.

"Well, it's different this time. I don't know how to explain it, but you look… really… pretty," he told her not being able to meet her gaze either.

"Eren…" Mikasa said shyly. He didn't notice the deep blush that had appeared on her face from his comments. Mikasa was flustered and her knees felt weak, she couldn't take much more of this.

Their conversation went on for an hour or so, Mikasa continuously trying to convince Eren of how ridiculous she looked, but Eren kept refusing to agree with her and complimenting her, causing her to blush some more. The cycle repeated over and over again, until eventually Mikasa had to wash up before bed. They said their goodbyes and Eren finally got some peace and quiet. He let his body fall back against his bed and his head hit his pillow. Eren thought he was exhausted before but now he was dead. He placed his arm in front of his eyes and began to finally drift into sleep, darkness enveloped his mind and he finally passed out.

* * *

A few hours passed, but Eren had no idea how long he had been asleep. Connie had yet to show up to their room probably spending the night in the prison cell again. Connie spent a lot of time down there for all the stupid reckless shit him and Sasha got into. Connie always did the gentlemanly thing and took the blame, resulting in him spending many nights sleeping in the prison cell downstairs. Eren didn't mind though, he got a room to himself and peace and quiet for a majority of the time. Tonight he was sleeping well not a single sound to bother him.

That was until someone barged into his room, the door flying open, but oddly closing very slowly. The person flicked on the light switch, blinding Eren through his closed eyelids.

"Connie!" Eren yelled. "What the fuck dude! I'm sleeping over here!"

Before Eren knew it someone had picked him up by the throat and was hoisting him in the air. Eren shocked by the sudden motion opened his eyes to see his five foot tall blonde girlfriend hoisting him in the air, her hands constricting his esophagus. Eren tried to tear her hands from his throat, but her grip was too strong. _How is someone nearly half my height and weight holding me up in the air by my throat? _Eren thought to himself struggling to remove her grip. _And why the fuck is she doing it?! _Eren became dizzy and his eyelids started to close themselves. He couldn't breathe and he was starting to lose consciousness. Annie noticed this and after a couple more seconds of suffering, she threw Eren against the wall.

Eren's head snapped back and connected with the wall hard. Now he was definitely out of it, he was dizzy and suddenly his body went limp. His eyes closed and darkness enveloped his mind again, except this time not due to sleep. Annie looked at Eren's limp body with pride and a smirk spread across her face. That was until she realized that Eren wasn't moving, he hadn't moved in the last few seconds. She waited for him to get up and freak out at her, but it never came. Now she stared at him with disbelief and horror on her face. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just done.

"E-Eren? E-Eren wake up! Eren answer me!" she started yelling at his unconscious body. She ran over to him and kneeled down next to him. She took his head into her chest and stroked his brown hair softly. "Eren, I'm sorry. Please wake up. Eren… please," tears began to fall from Annie's eyes as there was no response from the boy again. A few minutes passed of Annie's sobs and tears that cascaded down her cheeks and onto Eren's forehead, until Eren started to come around.

Eren felt a sharp pain flow through his head, _shit, my head fucking hurts. What happened? _Eren slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see a mane of blonde hair enveloping his vision. He then remembered what had happened and braced himself for impact. He screamed and cowered behind his arms. Annie was startled out of her sobs by Eren's scream and threw him off her chest and onto the ground. When she realized that it was Eren screaming and saw him cowering under his arms, she jumped onto him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Eren… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you that bad," Annie cried into his shoulder.

Eren was no longer scared nor angry anymore. He was confused and shocked, in all of the time he had been around Annie, he had never seen her cry once. Not only was she crying, she was sobbing and Eren reached up to feel the wetness on his forehead, discovering that she had cried all over him while he was out cold.

"It's okay Annie, I'm alright... Just a little… dizzy, don't worry," Eren comforted her, stroking her hair softly and rubbing gentle circles on her back. He wanted to know why she went hulk on him and nearly killed him, but she realized now was not a good time to ask, no matter how curious he was.

After several minutes of silent comforting, Annie pulled back from their hug. She stared into Eren's eyes with regret and shame. Her eyes were blood shot red from all the crying, but they had finally seemed to dry up. They stared at each other for what felt like an hour, ocean blue eyes meeting forest green orbs.

Eren pulled Annie into another hug, "it's okay Annie, I forgive you. But can I just ask why you attacked me in my sleep?"

At that moment Annie remembered her initial purpose of storming his room. It was because Eren had left her alone with Mina and he had to pay. Annie pulled back from the hug again and pulled her arms out from around his neck. She pulled her right hand back and connected it with Eren's cheek.

"Ow! Annie what the fuck! Stop it!" Eren yelled pushing her to the floor, grasping his cheek.

"That's for leaving me alone with Mina!" Annie yelled at him. She then jumped onto him again, straddling his hips and connected a punch to his gut, causing Eren to release a cough and grasp his gut.

"That's for sneezing under the bed." She then jabbed her knee into his thigh eliciting a scream from his mouth, "And that's for scaring me."

Annie then pulled Eren into another hug, but this time she connected her lips with his. She worked at his mouth aggressively, but Eren just lied there motionless. _What the hell is even going on?_ He thought to himself. After several seconds Eren decided to just play along with it and began to kiss her back. Only to have Annie pull back from the kiss and pull him into another hug.

"You really scared me," she said into his shoulder.

"You've got a strange way of showing your affection, sweetheart," Eren told her. Annie pulled back again and glared at him. "What you don't like the new nickname?" She just continued to glare at him, "Guess not, was worth a shot," he smiled at her.

Annie couldn't hide the small smile that broke on her lips. She pressed her palms into Eren's chest and leaned into him, provoking a grunt of displeasure from him. She ghosted her lips over his ear and whispered, "If you ever want to see your sweetheart again, you're going to have to make it up to me,"

"W-What did you have in mind?" He replied, nervous all of a sudden.

"You better make me feel as good as I made you feel earlier… sweetheart," she whispered seductively into his ear. "Oh and one more thing. You forgot your belt," Annie pulled out a folded up belt from her back pocket and began whipping Eren with it.

"Ah! Annie! Fuck! Stop it!"

* * *

Armin Arlert lay in bed; he glanced over at the clock on his bedside table, seeing it was one o'clock in the morning.

_Everyone else in the barracks must be asleep by now, everyone except for me of course. I just can't stop thinking about Annie. Or what Eren wanted to tell me before we were interrupted. I love Mikasa and all but sometimes she is so overprotective of Eren. I don't understand why she couldn't see that Eren and I were having a nice talk before she showed up. She could've just waited a few more seconds and I wouldn't have cared. _

Armin let out a long sigh of disappointment.

_Eren seemed really worried when I told him about my feelings for Annie… I'm sure he's just worried that I'll end up getting hurt, but he wanted to tell me something._

He rolled around in the bed a few times, eventually shifting back to his original position.

_I can't take it! The anticipation is killing me, what did he want to tell me! I need to know! I need Eren's advice right now. I need him to help me with Annie. I need her. Eren I need you now. _

He sat up in the bed now, sweating like a pig. His pajamas and his bangs sticking to his body.

_He's probably asleep though- No Armin! You've got to do this right now! It's not like I'm going to sleep at all until I know…. Alright, let's do it. Man up Armin! Let's do this!_

With that Armin slowly pulled himself out of bed. He tiptoed his way to the door in order to not wake Jean, who was passed out snoring, drooling all over his pillow, most likely dreaming about Mikasa that perverted bastard. He opened the door gently, closing it ever so precariously in order to minimize the noise of the handle latching to the lock. He started sneaking his way down the hallway towards Eren's door.

He had wanted to be roommates with Eren, but the bunk mates were selected by random. Luckily though, Eren's room was only a couple doors down, so he didn't have to travel that far and make much of a commotion. He approached the door slowly and reached to knock on the wood. He then realized that knocking might wake up the others in the room and next door. He leaned on the door and released a long sigh. _Alright Armin you can do this, you can do this. _Armin reached into his pocket to pull out his room key, remembering how he had gotten into Eren's room earlier that day. Armin grabbed the doorknob and went to insert the key into the lock, when he realized the door was already unlocked. _Eren you forgetful idiot. _Armin turned the knob slowly, the door creaking open only by a sliver. He was about to peak in when he heard something. A faint moan followed by a deep groan. Armin just laughed thinking Connie or Eren were probably snoring. He went to open the door more when he heard her voice.

The one girl he had been watching closely for the past month, the soft yet stoic voice that could only belong to her. _That's… That's Annie. What is she doing in Eren's room? _Then he heard something that made his stomach drop to the floor.

"Harder Eren… Please."

At that moment Armin knew what was happening, he hated to admit it, but he knew what was going on behind that door. Everything in his mind told him to turn around and go back to his room. It quite literally screamed at him to get out of there as fast as possible. But something, something in Armin's heart told him to stay. He was frozen in place, contemplating whether to throw the door open and expose his worthless, no good traitor of a best friend or run away like a coward and hide like he normally did. Keep it inside and never scowl Eren for betraying his friendship and trust. _How could he do this to me? Especially after I confessed my love for Annie. On the same day!_

It was at that moment that Armin heard something that pushed him over his limit.

"Annie!"

It was Eren's voice. It was Eren's voice confirming any bit of doubt in his head. There was no doubt about it, his best friend and the girl he loved, getting it on. He couldn't take it anymore. He threw the door open with a slam. But his anger quickly dissipated into embarrassment and disbelief. One second he was ready to kill Eren, the next he could barely squeak out a word as he watched Annie frantically dismount Eren and cover them both with the blanket.

* * *

**This scene is a cut and paste from the first chapter just to refresh everyone's memory because that was quite a while ago. I was just going to skip to Armin charging Eren but I wanted people to remember how Armin had attacked him**

Armin just stands in the doorway, eyes wide with horror and most prominently sorrow. He is able to squeak out, "What….? Eren…? Annie…?"

Annie's cheeks begin to turn beet red as she turns away to face the wall, removing her hands from Eren's waist. Eren still sits on the bed with a look of shock on his face. _Armin what the fuck is wrong with you? Don't you know how to knock? Why am I silent right now?_

Eren opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, Armin speaks first.

"What the fuck is this?" Armin questions. It comes out harsh and Eren's eyes open even wider, which he didn't think was even possible. Armin never swears and this even causes Annie to turn away from the wall and return her attention to Armin. His eyes are wide; his stance wide, his fists are clenched at his sides, and he is shaking madly as if his head is ready to explode any second. Almost telepathically Eren and Annie share a thought, _Armin has never been this angry in his life. This is not going to end well._

Annie feels terrible about herself and slips down under the blankets as if she has melted away. She can't stand to look Armin in the eyes anymore, she doesn't understand why he's so upset but she can't take the embarrassment any longer. She finally started opening herself up to people recently and this is her worst nightmare. She's naked and exposed in front of one of her fellow trainees and if that's not bad enough it's the best friend of the boy she's dating and currently sharing this state of bareness with.

Eren has other thoughts on his mind. _Why is Armin so angry? I understand his state of shock but why is he upset, if anything I should be pissed off. He just fucking cock blocked my ass. After all these months of putting my moves on Annie and I finally got her in my bed, _(A faint smirk appearing on his face momentarily) _all to be ruined by Armin not having common courtesy. _

But what Eren didn't realize while he was lost in his thoughts was Armin had hit his boiling point. Eren was awoken from his thoughts by a sudden creak of the floorboards. He looked up towards Armin only to see him charging right towards him… _SHIT!_

"I'm going to fucking kill you Eren Yeager!" He yells.

* * *

_Well here it goes, _Eren thought as Armin charged his way towards him. _I knew this was going to bite me in the ass the second Mikasa interrupted me. I should've told him! But I was exhausted, I needed to sleep and then Annie came in and started fucking around, not that I'm complaining. _

Swoop! Eren dodged an awkward punch thrown by Armin.

_What the fuck am I supposed to do! I can't fight Armin, this is my fault anyways. I should've told him._

Armin was throwing punches like a rabid dog. He was running around in circles chasing Eren throwing wild, blind punches like a mad man. He looked like an idiot to anyone watching, but he didn't seem to care. Eren had never seen Armin this mad before, in his life.

"You fucking traitor!" Armin growled.

Eren had also never heard Armin swear so much in his life. Not since his grandfather died and he found him in his room, destroying things and swearing like an animal.

"You played me!" Armin yelled.

"Armin, calm the fuck down!" Eren screamed.

"Eren, what is he talking about?" Annie asked cowering in his bed.

"Armin, I tried to tell you! Calm the fuck down!" Eren yelled back, ignoring Annie's question.

"You betrayed me! You liar, don't bullshit me!" Armin screamed; spit spewing out of his mouth.

This went on for several minutes, before Eren couldn't take anymore. He was tired from dodging Armin's punches and running around the room. He needed to think of something soon because Armin didn't look like he was slowing down. Annie had gotten annoyed by their antics and lied back down on the bed. Eren suddenly thought of a good idea. He would let Armin believe that he knocked him out; he knew Armin wasn't that strong and his punch would barely hurt him. So he let Armin connect with one of his wild punches, striking him in the jaw and like Eren had guessed, it barely affected him. He fell to the ground with a thump, grasping his jaw in fake agony.

Eren wasn't the greatest strategist and this proved through when Armin started kicking him on the ground. Armin was a menace, connecting with punches, kicks, slaps and anything else he could hit Eren with. When Annie heard the thump of someone going down, she thought that Eren had finally gotten frustrated and pinned Armin. What took him so long to do it was the question that Annie wondered. However, when she sat up and saw Eren on the ground, seemingly unconscious, she actually laughed to herself. _What an idiot._ But then she saw how Armin was bombarding him with punch after kick after punch, with no sign of slowing. Something in her chest sparked and her eyes turned into two orbs of lava. _Nobody treats Eren like that, except for me! _

She stood up and rushed her way over to the two boys, she had taken the time to put her shirt and shorts back on while the two boys were fucking around. She was just thankful Eren had time to pull up his boxers from his ankles before Armin attacked him. She ran over and grabbed Armin by the back of his shoulders, turning him to face her. She saw the rage and betrayal in his eyes and for a second, Annie felt guilt fill her stomach for some reason. That didn't last long before she threw Armin against the bedframe, knocking him unconscious in the process.

She instantly felt that twinge of guilt return to her body. She had just done the same thing to Armin that she did to Eren earlier, except it was probably going to take more than her crying to get Armin to forgive her. _Fuck me, I really need to start thinking before I act, _she thought.

_Oh shit, what have I done? _Was Eren's thinking. He had just faked being knocked out, believable enough to make Annie fall for it, quickly giving himself props for the Oscar performance before going back to freaking out. _Annie had knocked Armin out, what the fuck was I thinking. That was stupidest plan in the world. Fuck, I've got to tell her. Wait! No, I could just continue pretending I'm unconscious. No one will ever know. Sorry Armin but you caused this._ He would deal with it later, when he "woke up" from unconsciousness.

Eren's second plan of the night fell apart even quicker than his first, when someone came running through their wide open doorway. Of course it was none other than the obsidian eyed, top of the class, his overprotective adoptive sister, Mikasa Ackerman.

"Oh fuck…"

* * *

**A/N: **

**And that my friends, is how we got in this predicament, a four chapter long flashback… oops. The story is now in present tense, I'm sorry if I screwed up in the past chapters with the tense but it was supposed to be past tense.**

**Holy shit guys I'm really sorry how bad this chapter is, I was tempted to re-write the whole thing. . This was my favourite chapter when planning it out, but it didn't come out as well as I imagined. I'm not happy with this chapter at all, except for the title lol.**

**Anyways, let me know what you guys think either way. Maybe by some miracle you guys will like this chapter. I love reading your reviews and want to hear what you guys think, it is my motivation to keep writing and get chapters out faster for you guys.**

* * *

**Outtake/Extra Scene**

A long period of silence broke out between the two roommates, after Eren had left; Mina started bombarding Annie with a bunch of personal questions. Now they sat in an awkward and uncomfortable silence, until Mina finally spoke up.

"So Annie, what's it going to take for me to get in on some of your and Eren's action?"

"Mina you're disgusting, grow up!" Annie rolled her eyes at her friend's eagerness.

"Come on Annie, lighten up. Eren is sooooo cute!" Mina whined.

"Yeah he is. And he is all mine, so fuck off," Annie said with a smirk on her face. She slammed the door right as all of Mina's anticipation and eagerness dropped from her face.


	5. Love-Struck, Struck Down

**A/N: **

**Okay first of all this is going to be a long author's note so if you aren't interested, skip ahead. I'm really sorry for the long period since last update. No I'm not abandoning this story, I've just been caught up with exams and my spring sporting season has started so I honestly have zero time to write this. I write these chapters between the times of midnight and 2 in the morning, which screws with my writing ability, but I don't have another choice. Once school is over I will update more frequently and finish this story. If I stick to my planning (which I probably won't because I always add more parts) this story will have 5 more chapters. Once again I'm really sorry for the long wait for the update.**

**Now for me to praise you guys for being really awesome. Firstly, this story has over 1,300 views which is insane for my first fanfiction. I never expected that many views on a concept that I came up with out of nowhere. So thank you all, you guys are amazing and make me such a happy writer! For the 26 followers of the story, you guys are awesome for sticking through this story, hopefully until the end. And those of you who also favourited it, amazing! Most importantly the reviews, you guys have been amazing with the reviews and I'm so grateful to read them. Reviews are my drive for inspiration, feedback and confidence to continue writing.**

**Alright now a shout out to two people in specific: The first person is my favourite writer on this website, Euregatto. She read my story; followed it and followed me as an author and even though it just took a click of a button, it really means so much to me. To have the person who initially inspired me to write this story follow it, I'm insanely grateful.**

**Second shout out goes to Takenokohime. I consider her my first friend on this website. Although I have had short conversations with other authors on this site, she has been the nicest and welcoming to me. She checked out my story and always gives me amazing feedback and praise for my chapters. She is the first person that I have had a continuous conversation with about Attack on Titan and just life in general. It really means a lot to talk to you and you really don't know how much I enjoy it. You are a huge inspiration for me as a writer and an awesome person. You guys should check out her Eren x Annie story, "When I Remember This Life." It is a great story and a new twist on Annie's character in my opinion. Very different from other Eren x Annie fics and a fresh look at their interactions. Shout out to you, you're awesome!**

**Alright that's enough from me. That was long as shit! I'm sorry. Here's chapter 5!**

* * *

Chapter 5 – Love-struck, Struck Down

Mikasa lay in bed like every other night, struggling to fall asleep. She always had trouble with sleep and it has been years since she's had a proper night's rest.

_I miss the nights where I slept by Eren's side, cuddled together in each other's embrace. I can't sleep in his scarf either because it is too hot in the barracks. I have no part of him to comfort me at night, I am bare, I am cold, and it doesn't feel like home anymore. _

Mikasa tossed and turned listening to the sounds of Sasha's obnoxious snoring and the ever so often grumble of her stomach. She kept staring at the clock, one in the morning, only five more hours until early morning training.

_Maybe If I try really hard, I could get a few hours of decent sleep. _

Mikasa closed her eyes and thought of the times where there was peace, where she was at her happiest. So she went back to the days before the breach of Shiganshina, where she spent the entirety of her days with Eren and Armin. Those were the days, when Eren wasn't constantly angry and Armin was calm and relaxed. The days where the three of them got along, when she and Eren barely fought and there wasn't a care in the world. She reminisced about one particular day when she, Armin and Eren were hanging out under a tree, reading one of Armin's books about the outside world. She sat there silently watching the two boys bicker at each other; she remembers smiling to herself as Eren continuously questioned Armin about the pictures in the book and Armin who was all smiles to answer his questions. _We were all so happy, why couldn't we still be like that now_, Mikasa frowned.

She recalled Armin's words_, 'be patient Eren, the book will explain.' _She laughed to herself at Eren's stubbornness.

But at that moment another voice interfered with her thoughts, _'what the fuck is this?!'_

Mikasa's eyes shot open, when did that memory happen. Armin never swore and she couldn't comprehend why a memory like this would appear now, in her state of peaceful slumber. Then she heard it, '_I'm going to fucking kill you Eren Yeager!'_

Those eight words were enough to make her jump out of bed. She grabbed her scarf, quickly wrapping it around her neck clumsily. She bolted down the hall towards the boys barracks leaving Sasha behind confused.

'_I'm going to fucking kill you Eren Yeager!'_

'_Kill you Eren Yeager!'_

_ 'Kill you!'_

The words echoed in her mind, forcing small pools of tears to form in her eyes. She raced down the hall, leaving a blur of black and red behind her.

"Not if I can help it!" She yelled out loud.

She turned a corner in the hall, bowling right over Marco in the process, who was making a late night trip to the bathroom. She stopped to help the freckled boy up and apologized to him. He decided it would be a good time for small talk, which Mikasa didn't appreciate because it held her up even longer. Eventually she got fed up and apologized one last time to Marco before continuing her sprint down the hall leaving him staring blankly.

Mikasa practically kicked open the door to Eren's room, instantly stopping to take in the scene in front of her. The sight was quite a hilarious one; an unconscious Armin splayed out among the floor, a naked Eren in nothing but his boxers with a look of utter fear stricken across his face and a disheveled Annie in nothing but short short's, her underwear and Eren's large shirt. Both parties had a deep blush upon their cheeks and Annie had a look of sorrow on her face that Mikasa had never seen her carry.

Well it was hilarious unless you were Mikasa Ackerman. Her two closest friends lied on the floor, one unconscious and the other badly beaten and bruised and who other than Annie fucking Leonhart towering over the two.

"You bitch! You're responsible for this!" Any sense of sympathy or respect Mikasa had for Annie quickly dissipated at that moment. She charged Annie's body knocking her down in the process.

Annie didn't mind fighting back. She and Mikasa have had a rivalry ever since the first day of the survey corps. Both of them being in the top of their class and competing for top spot. But Mikasa's protectiveness of Eren was getting on Annie's nerves and now she had an excuse to take action.

Before she knew it Mikasa had grabbed her by the collar and started throwing jabs to her abdomen. Annie yelped in pain but didn't falter. She grabbed Mikasa's shoulders and connected a knee to her stomach. Mikasa keeled over in pain and Annie took advantage of her falter and smashed an elbow down on her upper back. Mikasa fell flat on her stomach; however she had not given up yet. She grabbed Annie's ankles pulling her down to the floor with her. She mounted Annie's petite body and began throwing more jabs towards her abdomen and chest leaving purplish brown bruises scattered across her body. Annie threw her forearms up to protect her face but noticed that none of the punches were heading towards her head.

Eren noticed this as well, although he was internally freaking out at his girlfriend and adopted sister competing in a brawl, he noticed that neither girls weren't aiming for the face. Whether it was out of respect or something else, Eren couldn't figure it out. Either way he was glad they both still had enough control to not severely injure each other.

Eren however felt bad about the next thought that came into his mind, but he did not immediately dismiss it. The image of the two girls wrestling on the floor kind of turned him on. Watching his girlfriend and Mikasa roll around on the floor and grind on each other was actually really sexy. They both took punches like they were nothing, nothing but slight grimaces of pain on their faces. They were both built like machines, machines made of strength and determination.

_Who could've known that two girls fist fighting over you could be so hot, _Eren thought with a smile.

_Snap out of it Eren! You've got to stop them!_

The voice inside Eren's head was right. No matter how much Eren wanted to resist from breaking up the two girls, someone was going to get hurt soon and it would be his fault entirely.

So he tried to interfere.

_**Tried**_

He grabbed onto Mikasa's shoulders and attempted to pull her off of Annie's body. Mikasa in her fit of rage threw her elbow back and elbowed Eren straight in the nose. Eren fell back grasping his nose and knocked his head against the bedside table in the process. Mikasa coming to the realization of her actions screamed and dropped to her knees to tend to Eren.

"Smooth move," Annie spit.

Annie's mocking comment caused Mikasa to lunge at her again, tackling her to the floor. Mikasa was loading up a punch and was ready to release it right when Shadis came running into the room.

"What's going on in here?!"

* * *

30 minutes later

Eren and Armin lay in the beds of the infirmary. Both boys were awake now, but one more than the other. Mikasa was crying over hurting Eren and massaging his hand in hers before he woke. Her actions evoking a death stare from Annie who was watching from the corner of the room.

Armin awoke to an excruciating pain in his head. It was throbbing excessively and he could actually feel his heartbeat in his temple. The next thing Armin noticed was a pair of hands working at his head wounds. He felt a bandage being wrapped around his head by soft gentle, yet muscular hands. He opened his eyes to see a set of glasses and two huge eyes staring straight into his soul. It was none other than Ms. Hange.

"Ms. Hange what's wrong?!" Armin yelled sitting up abruptly being startled by her close proximity. He immediately regretted his decision as his headache came like a tidal wave crashing down on the beach. He grasped at both sides of his head and fell back against the bed taking deep breathes to calm himself.

"Armin, you silly muffin… No sudden movements," Hange stated caressing his head again.

"You took a very nasty 'fall'," she emphasized the word fall as she gestured air quotes around it.

"Now if you try to sit up again," Hange said slowly tapping Armin's forehead with her index finger causing pain to coarse through his head.

"Ms. Hange that h-!"

"I have the right to sedate you!" Hange interrupted with a smirk on her face causing Armin to pause mid-sentence.

Ms. Hange was a very strange veteran of the scouting legion. She had studied medicine, but she also had a passion for experimenting on Titans. The survey corps had heard stories about the various experiments that she performed on Titans. She was a very eccentric and flat out mad scientist.

Eren began to laugh at Armin, only to be called out by Hange.

"And you young man!" Hange said turning around to face Eren pointing at him, silencing his laugh immediately.

"The gash on your head is twice as bad as Armin's and you have a mild concussion," she stalked over to his bed leaning over him like she had done to Armin moments ago. She ran a finger down the gash on his head eliciting a grunt from Eren.

"Hmm, however it looks like your gash has almost healed," she said as she examined the cut on the back of Eren's head that was already scabbing within the immediate hour.

"This is very interesting…" she said with a voice laced with excitement.

"Does this mean I get to leave now," Eren said very unenthusiastically.

Hange just gave Eren the most creepy and maniacal smile she could give before replying with, "No, what it means is it's time for some experimenting!" She exclaimed clapping her hands. She started reaching for Eren motioning to grab him like a toddler in a high chair. That's when Mikasa stepped in.

"I'm sorry Ms. Hange, but unfortunately I can't let you do that," Mikasa stated patronizingly standing in between the two parties such as a bodyguard would. Annie just scoffed mockingly from the corner where she leaned causing Mikasa to send a glare in her direction.

"Ms. Hange you are an expert in Titan experiments, not human experiments. I'm sorry but I can't put Eren in that kind of danger."

"Mikasa, I can look after myself," Eren growled from behind her causing her to spin around and face him.

Mikasa's glare intended for Hange and Annie quickly faded to pleading eyes. All she wanted from Eren right now was an explanation, an explanation for all of this. Why he was in his boxers and Annie was in his shirt. Why Armin was unconscious. What the reasoning for all this shit was. She just wanted an explanation. She was about ready to boil over, her stress level was rising and she couldn't take much more. So she cracked, cracked like a morning egg.

"Eren just tell me what's going on?! Just explain to me what is happening?! I can't take it anymore!" She pleaded grabbing him by the collar and shaking.

"Alright! Alright! Mikasa calm down! You are giving me a massive headache," he told her wincing from the pain.

"Oof, it looks like you've got enough on your plate Eren, never mind me, I'm out!" Hange exclaimed before giving both boys a wave and walking towards the door.

Right before she exited she turned around and told Armin, "You stay in bed." Armin replied with a shy nod, "And you," she said pointing at Eren, "Good luck," she laughed leaving the room.

"Ms. Hange! No comeback! I'll take the testing over this!" He yelled.

"Eren…" Mikasa growled.

Eren just replied with a nervous laugh, "Well you see…" Eren paused unsure of what to tell Mikasa without it being extremely uncomfortable. There was silence for a few seconds until Armin spoke up.

"Just let me do it Eren, we will graduate before you finish at this rate," Armin said impatiently.

Eren gave Armin a challenging look before he nodded to tell him to go ahead. Armin looked really nervous and a bead of sweat was dripping down his head.

"A-Annie is it okay if you leave for this…?"

Annie just replied with a scoff, "If you think I'm leaving her in the same room with Eren alone, you'd be very mistaken, Arlert."

She was obviously referring to Mikasa who looked about ready to pounce on the short blonde girl any second now.

"Alright, alright, calm down everyone," Armin exclaimed nervously.

Once the atmosphere calmed, Armin let out a long sigh before clearing his throat to explain the situation.

"Earlier today, sometime mid-afternoon I came to Eren's room to discuss something with him…" He stopped to take a few breaths and collect himself, but Mikasa was getting impatient.

"Spit it out Armin!"

"I-I came to Eren's room to tell him that I've had a crush on Annie for a few weeks now and I think she's really pretty and amazingly talented and awesome," he confessed really quickly refusing to meet Annie's eyes.

But it didn't matter because Annie wasn't looking at him either. She was staring off into space with her eyes wide. She had heard every word of Armin's confession, but refused to acknowledge any of it. That was until she heard Eren's scoff and mocking laugh.

"I like how you left out the part where you came into my room again and attacked me in the middle of the night!" Eren yelled at him breaking the silence.

"Oh you mean when I walked in on you and Annie screwing around with each other, right after I told you about my feelings for her!" Armin yelled back.

"She's my fucking girlfriend! I can do whatever the fuck I want with her. I don't need your permission!"

"Well a little heads up that you two were dating would've been nice!"

"Why should I have to tell you? Annie and I have a happy relationship. Why should I risk jeopardizing it by blabbing to you?!"

"Well maybe because I told you I have FEELINGS for her! Then I walk in on you two fucking! What a nice surprise!"

"Well maybe you should've knocked then!"

"I'm sorry, I was going to knock before I heard grunting and moaning coming from behind the door!"

'Oh Eren harder! Harder!

Oh Annie you like it like that!'"

Armin imitated Annie and Eren's voices.

"You little piece of shit!" Eren began rising from the bed ready to knock Armin on his ass. "I was going to tell you about Annie and I before Mikasa came barging in to the room!" Eren pointed at Mikasa, but didn't look in her direction.

"Oh yeah! Blame everything on Mikasa! It's all her fault right?!" Armin yelled ready to defend himself from Eren's onslaught. Both boys were toe to toe now, their noses almost touching as they screamed in each other's red faces.

"She probably had no idea about this relationship either! Now did you Mikasa?!" Armin accidentally yelled at her in his fit of rage, now facing her awaiting a response. But all he saw was Mikasa with a blank stare upon her face and her mouth agape. He could see pools of tears welled up in her eyes and she looked awfully pale.

"M-Mikasa?"

* * *

'_When I walked in on you and Annie screwing.'_

'_She's my fucking girlfriend; I can do whatever I want with her!'_

'_Annie and I have a happy relationship!'_

'_Oh Eren harder! Harder!'_

'_Oh Annie, you like it like that!'_

'_Mikasa?!'_

Mikasa was overwhelmed by the boys' words. She couldn't take one more minute of it. No matter how hard she tried to contain them, tears began to fall. She wanted to cry, no she wanted to ball. The news of Eren and Annie's relationship had crushed her heart into a million pieces. Eren was talking about Annie the time he confessed his love to her and listed off all of her amazing qualities. How could she be so stupid, to think Eren would've been talking about her, to think that Eren, the love of her life, her saviour, her hero since the day he saved her, actually felt the same way about her that she had felt about him forever. Eren had literally taken her heart, caressed it, kissed it, cared for it and then threw it on the ground.

She registered her name but didn't care; there was nothing she could say right now. Even if she wanted to say something, she wouldn't be able to speak as her lip quivered uncontrollably and the lump in her throat constricted her from saying anything. The only response Mikasa could conjure up was a sob that slipped from her lips. The tears that were trickling out of her eyes were now pouring down her face.

"Mikasa!"

There it was again, her name spoken by none other than the lover boy himself. Now he acknowledged her, now he spoke to her. Now she was a relevant part of his life. All she ever wanted was him, but he kept insisting on pushing her away. He never wanted her by his side; ever since he saved her all she has ever been was a burden. Mikasa's heart shattered at the thought of losing Eren forever, but it was happening and she could do nothing to stop it.

She barely recognized Armin's figure approaching her until he rested a hand on her shoulder. She saw his lips moving but she couldn't hear a word. She was usually comforted by his touch but right now it made the bile in her stomach rise. She batted his hand away before another sob escaped her lips.

She couldn't take one more second of this ache and turned around running out the door. Eren attempted to chase after her, but Annie placed her hand on his chest holding him back. She just shook her head and told him to let her be, he needed to rest.

Eren sat down defeated and frustrated, he didn't understand why Mikasa was so upset, but something in his heart had told him to chase after her. Something told him to stop her and discuss the issue but just like always he was useless. He was never there for Mikasa when she needed him. She didn't deserve him, no one did.

* * *

**A/N: Okay I know Hange is not a doctor or isn't in the story at this point of time. I just really love her character and I felt like she fit in perfectly with this scene. She was pretty much comic relief. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review! I'm a review whore!**


	6. What Makes Love the Exception?

**A/N: Shout out to all my readers, you guys are really amazing and you actually make me so happy. When I decided to join fanfiction a little ago it was something new and awesome and I loved reading all these great stories created by fans. When I decided to write my own stories I thought maybe two or three people would read them, but to get this kind of praise and reception has been amazing and it has made me so happy. If anyone ever wants to PM me about the story or AoT or life, don't hesitate I'm always checking my messages and account, so I will always reply to you. One of my enjoyments of this website is interacting with readers and other writers; it makes the ride more interesting. Alright enough from me now, here's the next chapter. Again I'm sorry for the long wait between chapters, I've got one more week of exams and then I'm done and updates will come a lot faster I promise. As well as a couple new stories for you guys!**

**Thanks to the guest who left a really nice and funny review, I can't reply directly to you, but I'm super glad you love the story!**

**The title is a line from the song Hey Ya! by Outkast**

* * *

Chapter 6 – What Makes Love the Exception?

Mikasa ran to her room leaving a trail of tears behind her. She had heard Eren call after her, but it just made her heart ache more. She didn't want to see anyone right now; she just wanted to hide in her room forever. She ran into her room shutting the door and locking it behind herself. However she had forgotten that it was three o'clock in the morning and Sasha was fast asleep in her bed. She forgot about everyone else, she was so caught up in the moment and Eren's injury that she forgot it was the middle of the night. She saw Sasha stir when she closed the door, but she just rolled over and went back to sleep without a word.

She lied down upon her bed and buried her head in her pillow. She threw her blankets over herself cutting off all outside air she felt. She was suffocating under the sheets, but she didn't have a care in the world. She couldn't for the life of herself stop her body from shivering. She felt cold, colder than ever before. It was as if someone had stripped her of her clothes and left her bare in the snow. She forgot what it felt like to be this cold; she hadn't felt like this since the day she lost her parents. She hated it; her home was once again gone, gone off with some blonde chick with no emotions.

She reached up to grab at the scarf around her neck as more tears started to fall from her eyes. She felt the tears drop on her scarf, soaking through the material. She pulled it up over her mouth like she had so many times before when she was embarrassed or sad and needed comfort, but today it felt different, it felt empty. Today, her body kept shivering and the scarf didn't bring her the warmth that it always had. She couldn't contain herself any longer, sobs began to escape her lips and all restraint was gone. First she lost the boy that she loved and now she lost the warmth from his scarf, the one that she was given nine years ago, the one that came with the promise that they would always be together. Some promise that was, nothing lasts forever.

She continued to cry and cry, not knowing how long she had been going for, but she didn't care either way. There was no way she was getting any sleep tonight anyways, not with the trauma she had experienced today. Her body shook with every sob and her chest ached with every breath. She furiously rubbed at her eyes causing them to puff up. She no longer had anyone to live for.

"M-Mikasa?"

It was Sasha's quiet and concerned whisper coming from the other side of the room. Sasha had heard Mikasa cries in her sleep before, it used to happen quite often the first couple of weeks of training. That was when Mikasa told her about the nightmares and her parents and everything that went on in her past life. How Eren used to bring her comfort at night and they would sleep together to make the nightmares go away. Tonight was different though, these weren't the quiet muffled sobs that Sasha was used to. These were screams compared to the usual contained ones. Sasha could see Mikasa's body shaking from the other side of the room. There was definitely something else wrong. She made her way towards Mikasa's bed and placed a hand on the bump in her blankets, assuming it was Mikasa's hip.

"Hey Mikasa, what's wrong?"

Once again Mikasa had forgotten Sasha was even in the room, she was so caught up in her sorrows that she didn't notice how much of a commotion she was causing. She slowly pulled the blanket down revealing the top half of her face, but that was enough to make Sasha gasp.

Sasha saw Mikasa's swollen eyes, her tear stricken cheeks, her sweat coated forehead and the look of pure hurt in her eyes. Sasha was on her feet in a second.

"Hey, hey, hey Mikasa, what's up?"

Mikasa still didn't want to talk to anyone, her throat was constricted and her voice hoarse from all the crying. She didn't want to burden Sasha with her problems. She didn't deserve that, she waved her off.

"I'm fine Sasha, just another nightmare."

"Mikasa don't give me that, you know I see right through your crap. Tell me the truth." Sasha wasn't demanding, but Mikasa could hear the concern in her voice.

"That is the truth." Mikasa pressed on.

"No it's not. I know your nightmare cries and they aren't nearly as desperate as these ones."

"It was just a really bad one…" Mikasa whispered.

Sasha wasn't buying Mikasa's lies, something was up, but she would humour her just to give her the privacy she wanted. Sasha always respected Mikasa and understood all the pain and hurt she had been through.

"Alright Mikasa, you can just tell me what Eren did in the morning."

Mikasa gasped, a shocked look appearing on her face, "H-How did you know it was Eren?"

"Mikasa there's only one person in the world that could cause this," she motioned over Mikasa's disheveled body and messy bed.

"Plus Eren wouldn't let anyone else treat you like this, only his stubborn clueless self."

Mikasa would've laughed if she wasn't so devastated. Sasha knew her better than she thought and she was right. Eren was the only one who could do this to her. It was actually quite stupid of her to get so flustered over him, but she couldn't help it, she loved him. Mikasa looked up from her downcast eyes to see Sasha looking at her with concerned ones. However Sasha had a reassuring smile on her lips as she rubbed Mikasa's leg and told her, "It's Eren, I'm sure he will apologize tomorrow, you know how he is."

That really didn't make Mikasa feel any better because this wasn't something he could apologize for. But she faked her smile and thanked Sasha for her kindness before telling her she needed some air. With that Sasha was back in bed and Mikasa wandering the halls again, except this time she had a destination in mind.

* * *

Jean pushed open the door to the gym; he loved his independent workouts early in the morning. Any extra training that he could do to secure his spot in the top ten was worth it. He walked through the doorway and instantly felt his heart rate speed up, heat rising to his cheeks and his shorts tightening. Across the room, clad in short gym shorts and a sports bra was Mikasa. Jean always thought Mikasa looked good, but decked out in her gym clothing, he didn't know if he could contain himself.

Jean knew it was going to end in disappointment, but he still found himself gravitating towards the girl, her rock hard abs and legs of steel making him drool. She was working at a punching bag and man was she working that punching bag. Her punches and kicks swift and breathless, she was moving faster than Jean could follow and yet her breathing didn't falter. The sound of skin and muscle connecting with hard cushion echoing throughout the gym as the bag periodically smacked against the back wall as it swayed back and forth. Her scarf swaying, with the motions of her attacks. Jean couldn't stop staring at her toned muscles, each curve and bump clearly visible and the thin layer of sweat that made her glow. She reminded him of an angel. He walked up behind her, his stare not faltering from her body as he whispered.

"Hey Mikasa."

She spun around obviously startled by the sudden voice and looked ready to strike.

"Jean never sneak up on someone practicing combat training. I was in my zone."

"S-Sorry, I just didn't expect anyone in here at this time."

Mikasa just shrugged, positioning the bag at a halt in front of her again as she got into her ready position. She began her assault on the bag and Jean got lost in her attacks again, fascinated by the swiftness and beauty of her movements. After a few minutes, Mikasa still wasn't tiring, but Jean wasn't complaining.

"I-I've never seen anyone like you before, your b-beautiful black hair flows with the wind."

Mikasa jumped again, this time spinning around and connecting a right jab straight to the bridge of Jean's nose. Jean yelled out cupping his now broken nose.

"Thank you," Mikasa whispered as she turned to exit the gym finished with her workout. Jean had startled her again, but this time she was so into her zone that she instinctively hit him.

As Mikasa changed out of her gym clothes she thought about the realization she came to during her workout. It wasn't Eren's fault that he loves another girl, it's her own foolish self who thought by some chance Eren would feel the same way back. This was stupid of her to ignore Eren for falling for a girl; she knew it would happen one day, when he looked past his drive to kill titans. She just didn't think it would happen this fast and she hoped, just hoped that it would've been her. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, she still worried about Eren. She left him in the infirmary, yeah he was with Annie, but Mikasa had seen how she cared for Eren, she just beat on him and never showed any apathy or care. Mikasa realized Eren still needed her, especially now that she was the reason he was in the infirmary in the first place.

* * *

Mikasa slowly snuck past the nurse at the infirmary, visiting hours were long over and everyone in the barracks were either asleep or at least pretending to be. Thankfully Eren and Armin were the only ones in the infirmary tonight.

She cracked open the door just enough to see through a slit. Eren and Armin were passed out on their respective beds. It brought a smile to her face bringing back the memories of when they used to fall asleep leaving Mikasa alone in the park. Some days she would cuddle up with Eren and fall asleep on his chest. They always looked so peaceful when they were asleep, especially Eren because he was reckless when he was awake, especially as a kid. Even now, not much had changed. Eren was still his foolish, reckless, idiotic, OBLIVIOUS self.

_Why couldn't he just see how much I love him, why can't he just reciprocate the feelings?_

Mikasa crept up to the two boys in their beds. She slowly snuck her way through the room, taking gentle steps in order to not put too much pressure on a creaky floorboard.

_Step_

_Step_

_Step_

_Step_

_**Creak.**_

_Shit_

Mikasa halted in her place, she wasn't ready to face an awoken Eren just yet, not after the bomb he dropped on her earlier. She saw both boys stir but neither motioned to get up. The two boys were heavy sleepers_, nothing had definitely changed, _she smiled to herself.

She walked over to the chair next to Eren's bed, most likely previously occupied by Annie. She sat herself down on the chair and stared down at Eren's sleeping body. His chest inflated and deflated in pattern as he breathed in and out. He was always a peaceful sleeper, he never snored and barely shuffled around, but he loved to kick. She learned that the hard way when they were kids, when he used to comfort her nightmares by crawling into bed with her and it always worked, up until she got a swift kick right to the thigh. It didn't matter though, she still loved being in his embrace, so much that she was tempted to crawl into bed with him right now if the situation deemed appropriate.

Mikasa leaned down to brush a couple of stray strands of hair off his forehead, running her hand through his hair to cement them in place. She always had an obsession with his long brown locks. She never told him, but when he would fall asleep next to her, she would run her hands all through his hair trying to capture every bit in her grasp. Now as her hand came back she brushed it against his forehead checking his temperature for any sign of a fever. There was nothing though, so she went back to running her hands through his beautiful chocolate mane.

. . .

Eren heard the unmistakable crack of the floorboard, the one floorboard a few steps away from his bed. He might not have been the best soldier, but he was observant that's for sure. He knew right away there was only one girl who would sneak into the room with even a bother for their sleep. The nurse, Shadis, Hanji and even Annie would've just trudged right in without a care for their sleep.

He remembered Mikasa storming out the door earlier, he remembered trying to catch her and talk with her. He realized now was his chance, there was no one else, but he knew she wasn't trying to wake either of them. He decided to humour her, pausing mid stir to let her relax in peace of their sleep. He heard the soft sound of the small cushion being squashed as she sat down and felt a warm presence dangling over him. He could feel her eyes on him, a trait he had picked up a long time ago, not even needing to see her eyeing him to known when she was watching or staring.

There were a few minutes of silence before he felt Mikasa's hand on his forehead seemingly brushing away the hair. He had to use all his strength to not flinch at her touch and give himself away, but Mikasa's touch was so kind, so gentle he easily relaxed into it. This wasn't the first time Eren pretended to be asleep next to Mikasa, he knew the drill. She loved to run her hands through his hair, especially when she thought he didn't know, he struggled to keep the smile off his face as she did exactly that. He reminisced in her touch, relaxing and feeling every muscle and nerve loosen as she ran each finger through the hair on his head. He knew she would be back, he didn't think she would even last as long as she did before she came creeping back into the room. She could never leave his side, which was one thing Eren always hated. He loved Mikasa, he loved having her by his side all day, all the time, but when she followed him into the survey corps, he knew it was only bad to come. What else was he expecting her to do, live at home alone, farming, cleaning while he fought? A life where she would have no idea what he was doing. She could never live that way, she could never live without him. He felt the soft brush of Mikasa's palm on his forehead feeling his temperature, he internally scoffed.

_Things never really change do they?_

. . .

Mikasa brought her hand back down to her lap, she knew it wasn't right to interfere with Eren and Annie's relationship, but it was too much stress for her to handle. How could her crush for so many years, her only family, love another girl? She knew it was always just a dream that he would love her back, but secretly she always hoped it was a reality. She remembered Sasha always telling her, 'tell him, tell him, you never know what he'll say.' She was always afraid, always afraid of being heartbroken. She could deal with never asking and bundling up all her love inside, but she couldn't deal with the heartbreak of being rejected by him. Well she knew the answer now and she was right, it crushed her into millions of pieces. Armin's words alone were enough to send her into a spiral of devastation and angst. She had to leave the room or else the nurse might come in and think she was having an emotional breakdown. She was, but that's beside the point, her state was not important; she just needed to protect Eren at any costs.

She grabbed for Eren's hand, trying to find comfort in his touch, something she always did as a child. She was calming but then realized maybe she shouldn't hold his hand because of his newly updated relationship status. She started to pull away as her other hand reached up to subconsciously pull at her scarf, when Eren's hand tightened around hers. To say she was surprised would be a massive understatement and she couldn't hold in the gasp that escaped her lips. She looked down at him, expecting to see his bright emerald eyes looking up at her, but he was still out like a brick. No sign of his sleep being disturbed and he looked peaceful as ever. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks and this time she pulled the scarf over her mouth to hide her embarrassment and most prominently her everlasting love.

. . .

Eren instantly missed Mikasa's touch. The second she pulled away from his hair and scalp, he felt a shiver rush down his back, as if something had just sucked all the heat out of his body, the cold pouncing on him like a pack of wild dogs. He waited a few seconds to see if her touch would return, but there was nothing. Maybe she fell asleep; it wouldn't be the first time. Back when they were younger she would always eventually fall asleep during her untangling of his mop. Although Eren would usually be the one to fall asleep first, so he honestly didn't know if there was fact behind his thoughts.

No, he didn't feel her head or body resting over him, but he still felt her presence, he knew it was a risk of being exposed but he opened his eyes slightly to look up at her. Thankfully she wasn't looking back, Mikasa was staring off into space, specifically the wall across the room, but something told Eren she wasn't thinking about the wall. He saw that her eyes were still slightly puffy, had she been crying? Instead of the stoic expression she usually held, it was replaced with a frown. Mikasa never showed her displeasure around him unless he was getting himself hurt or someone was hurting him. All the pain he never gets to see, all the hurt and despair she fells all the time, but keeps it locked away, how could he be so foolish to not notice?

He was done with pretending to sleep, he needed to comfort her now, but that was when she reached for his hand, Eren panicked and slammed his eyes shut. He felt her wiggle her hand into his, intertwining their fingers together. Another action she used to do when they slept as kids, except this one was mutual. Eren would do the same for her when she had nightmares.

He was just relaxing in her touch, reminiscing in the return of the warmth, when she started to pull away. Eren didn't think before he acted and regretted his decision immediately. Locking their hold together, not letting her pull away. He heard the small gasp that fell from her lips as she was shocked by his grip. He fucked up, he knew it. Surprisingly she didn't react verbally or physically, Eren couldn't see, but he could feel her questioning gaze on him. Then he heard the o so familiar sound of her scarf brushing up against her cheeks and ears, something she loved to do when she was embarrassed or nervous. He knew now he could relax in her touch and hopefully comfort that frown of hers that he couldn't get out of his mind.

. . .

Mikasa always felt like an idiot getting embarrassed over Eren, but she couldn't help it, she loved him, for a very long time at that. After she got over her embarrassment, she heard Sasha's voice echo in her head again, 'tell him.' Maybe telling him wasn't such a bad idea now, he was asleep so he would never know and maybe getting it off her chest would help with the heartbreak.

So she tried it, she tightened her grip on his hand and began to confess. She started easy, telling him about how much she cared for him, how much he meant to her, how she protected him because she cared and because she wanted him to be safe, not just for his safety, but for her own selfish reasons. She needed him by her side, not the other way around. He was her home, he was everything she had left, and he was everything she ever cared for. She couldn't live without him. She thanked him for saving her that day, for coming to find her, even though they were complete strangers at the time. He gave her a home when she had lost everything, but he gave her something, something new to hold on to, someone new to love.

She brings up the time he lost his mom, referring to Carla as their mom. How she lost her home all over again, but then quickly realized that it wasn't true, she hadn't lost her home, not all of it. Not if the little green eyed boy was still with her, Eren was her home and he always will be. All she ever wanted was to grow up with him, have a family and live the life she only got to experience until she was nine. One day try and give her child a life fulfilled with love and care. She could feel the tears threatening to fall, but she stayed strong, she fought them off and kept pushing forward. She could hear the hoarse tone in her voice, but she had to get it out. She couldn't contain it anymore, for her own good.

. . .

Eren was shocked to say the least, he knew Mikasa cared, and he knew she loved him, but this sounded like more. He always thought she felt indebted to him and that was her reason, but he could hear the raw emotion and passion in her voice. There was something bizarrely different in her tone.

Eren struggled to fight off the tears welling up in his own eyes as Mikasa brought up her parents and his mother's deaths. They never really talked about it, neither having the courage or desire to bring the topic up, but now Mikasa did and Eren was utterly shocked and confused. She brought up every part of the past, from their meeting to their days in his home and she kept bringing up the subject of her scarf. Many years ago when he wrapped that maroon scarf around her neck, his reasoning was simple, she said she was cold. How could he have stood there with a scarf warming his body, when she was standing there freezing, he just wanted her to be warm. He didn't realize all the importance that was bound to come from it, how one piece of fabric meant so much to her. He always questioned why she wore it every day, now she was giving him answers, she was giving him love. He was shocked because Mikasa never spoke like this, telling him she needed him for her selfish reasons. He would've saved her again and again; she didn't have to thank him for that. He could sense something that night when he went to visit the Ackermans and when Mikasa was missing, that drew the line for him. It's almost as if he could sense the legacy Mikasa would leave behind if she survived, she was a lost girl, sad and alone. But look at her now, one of the Scouting Legion's top soldiers. He was jealous, he knew it was true, but no matter how jealous he was, he was still proud of her and in Mikasa's words, he will always be her home.

. . .

It was time, time to tell him, time to confess. She could feel her throat constricting and her mouth drying up. Why did it always feel like this when it came to her love for Eren? It had been there her entire life, so why was she so shy now. She felt like she was confessing to a priest about all her sins, except her sins were love and Eren the priest. Just do it, she told herself, just do it. It's only Eren, what's the worst that can happen.

Well he says no and their friendship, relationship, family and her home is gone in the blink of an eye. Even just the thought of losing Eren was heart wrenching, it made her sick to her stomach. It just made her realize more and more how much she needed Eren, how desperate she would be without him. She needed to tell him, he deserved to know after all these years. Even though he doesn't reciprocate the feelings, he has the right to know. They always shared secrets and this was her biggest secret of all.

No more stalling, it's time to tell him, her thoughts kept wandering and if she kept pushing it off, then he would wake and that wasn't an option.

_Well here goes nothing._

Mikasa tightened her grip on Eren hand and began her confession.

_Eren, I love you. I will always love you and have always loved you since the day you saved me. And no not platonic love, love from the heart. The love that makes me want to have a family with you, the love that makes me blush every time I see you. The love that warms my body every day I get to be with you. The love that makes me jealous of you and Annie. The love that is apparently obvious to everyone else in the world except for you. Yes Eren, I care for you and I am over protective of you, but the reason is because I want to be with you every waking minute of the day. I love you Eren._

The tears started to fall from her eyes, the meaning behind her words settling in. The thought that Eren would never be hers once again becoming a reality.

_For the first few weeks of joining the Survey Corps, I couldn't sleep. I missed your warmth; I still miss your warmth. I cried myself to sleep nights on end from the nightmares I couldn't get out of my mind. I had nightmares about losing you, something I can't help but think about all the time because it destroys my heart. I've experienced way more death than any teenager deserves to experience and I can't take any more of it. I wouldn't be able to live without you. I love you Eren, I always have. _

_When I heard about your relationship with Annie it crushed my heart. I was so clueless and hearing it come from Armin's voice made it worse. I knew one day that you would stop being clueless and fall for a girl, I always hoped it would be me. It's all I ever wanted in my life and now that the reality of it is impossible, I don't want to live anymore. The true reason why I ran out of the room today was because I couldn't handle seeing you and Annie together as a couple. I always feared it, when you started training with Annie, I could tell you guys were forming a connection and I hated it. I know it's selfish, but I want you to myself Eren. I always have, no girl is good enough for you, no girl understands you like I do, your rage and stubbornness, I know how to contain it and I know the true caring and loving individual that hides beneath all that rage. I know the true you Eren, Annie isn't good enough for you, she doesn't understand. I just want you Eren, it's all I've ever wanted, why do you have to do this to me, why Eren. I love you, please Eren, please._

Mikasa's tears were pouring at this point, all down her cheeks and chin onto Eren. Her sniffling and sobbing interrupting her speech and making her sound weak, but she was weak, she was broken.

. . .

Eren was speechless, literally without a word. What was he supposed to say, to do? Mikasa just confessed her everlasting love for him. He could obviously hear her sobs and sniffles throughout her speech and it broke his heart. What was he supposed to say though? He had to admit, he did start having weird feelings toward Mikasa. That day in his room when she came storming in all dressed up with makeup on. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was, how stunning she looked and how it left him speechless in a different way, but did he love her back? He loved Annie, didn't he? Everything was so confusing, he had known Mikasa for so many years, but he never thought of her as a sister. He always felt this special connection towards Mikasa, but then why did everyone always accidentally refer to them as boyfriend and girlfriend. Was Mikasa telling the truth when she said everyone else knew about her love except for him? Was it always that obvious? Eren couldn't think straight, he had no idea what to do.

That was until he felt the tears hit his skin, Mikasa's whimpering and waterworks soaking through his shirt and beating against his arm. That was the breaking point for him; he couldn't stand to lie there in silence anymore.

Eren sat up in his bed taking Mikasa in his arms, cupping the back of her head against his palm and pulled her head into the crook in his neck. He rubbed her back, not speaking a word just trying to comfort her.

"E-Eren? You're supposed to be sleeping."

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Eren's awake, how much did he hear? Oh god, no. _

Mikasa's tears just intensified, now knowing that Eren had heard every word, her secret was revealed. Now Eren would lose every bit of care and respect he ever carried for her.

"Mikasa."

Eren said her name in the sweetest, softest voice. He pulled back from their embrace and looked at her. Staring right into her eyes, Mikasa could see tears welling up in his eyes. Eren gently wiped her tears off her cheeks with his thumb, Mikasa could feel callouses that had built up on his hands from training. He was so gentle, so calm as he wiped her tears away. He hushed her whimpering as he caressed her cheek. Even in her state, Mikasa could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks, the warmth spreading throughout her body from Eren's touch. He was still staring at her, delving deep into her eyes; she could see her own reflection in his stare. She didn't think her body could get any hotter.

That was until in one swift motion Eren pulled her lips into his, interlocking their love into one.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Dun, dun, dun. Cliff-hanger!**

**Okay for those of you who are going to say Mikasa is out of character in the scene with Jean, I know she is. It is supposed to be inserted for humour and a parody of the scene when Jean first sees her in the cabin and is fascinated with her hair. She is also riled up from her devastation and that's why she doesn't apologize to Jean because the line is taken from the manga/anime. If it bothers people a lot I'll remove the scene. Once again, thanks for reading and please leave a review to let me know what you guys think of the ending! I'm really sorry for the long update time again!**


End file.
